UN envoy calls on US, Russia to hold talks to help end Syria war

The United Nations special envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, on Monday called on the United States and Russia to engage in talks on Syria; saying the two main powers could play a “major role” in ending the violence in the war torn country.

Speaking before the UN Security Council, Pedersen said other countries who had successfully arranged for a ceasefire in Syria- namely Iran and Turkey – were “major players as well”.

According to the UN official, there have been too many “fleeting opportunities to turn dynamics towards a political path” in Syria, however “those missed opportunities were followed by renewed violence, and a hardening of positions between regional and international actors”.

Pedersen’s public appeal to Moscow and Washington to take a leading role in ending the war in Syria is the first of its kind.

The official said there is deep disappointment that the political process has not achieved tangible improvements for the Syrian people, adding that there is “a widespread sense that international competition is more prominent than cooperation, with Syrians paying the price”.

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