Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

U.N. Deputy Syria Envoy in Damascus for Talks on Proposed New Peace Round | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
Select Page
Media ID: 55355480
Caption:

Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy, Deputy Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Syria, speaks with reporters during a press conference in Damascus, Syria, 31 July 2016. According to media reports, Ramzy, who flew in earlier in the day, met with Bashar al-Assad’s regime Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem and his deputy, Faisal Mekdad. The reports quoted Ramzy as saying that the UN is keen to exert every possible effort to restore security and stability to Syria. Ramzy told reporters that Moallem confirmed that Syrian would participate in the talks that will be convened by the end of August on the crisis in the country. EPA


U.N. Deputy Syria Envoy in Damascus for Talks on Proposed New Peace Round

by | Jul 31, 2016 | Middle East |

U.N. Deputy Syria Envoy in Damascus for Talks on Proposed New Peace Round

The U.N. Deputy Special Envoy for Syria on Sunday held talks with Syrian officials within the Bashar al-Assad administration in Damascus to sound out their position on how to break a stalemate hindering the proposed continuation of peace talks around the end of August.

Ramzy E. Ramzy said he and Assad’s Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moulem discussed the subject of political transition — a major sticking point in negotiations between the Assad’s regime and opposition groups.

“We discussed how to render this process of political transition which has already been endorsed by the Security Council to be a credible one,” Ramzy told reporters.

No further details on the discussions were made.

U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said last week he aimed to convene a new round of Syria peace talks toward the end of August, and called for a U.S.-Russia deal to support the talks.

Russia and the United States are both conducting air strikes in Syria against hardline ISIS fighters, but support opposing sides in a wider civil war, with Moscow backing Assad’s government and Washington saying he must leave power.

Talks held in Geneva broke up last April after the opposition delegation quit, accusing the government of ignoring a U.N. brokered ceasefire.

Assad’s regime has said it is ready to attend a next round of talks but the mainstream opposition, which also accuses the government of preventing aid access to besieged opposition-held areas, said it would not attend unless conditions improved on the ground.