The UN envoy to Syria calls for urgent talks and stresses the need for an orderly political transition

This came in press statements made by Pedersen in the Qatari capital, Doha, after his meeting with the foreign ministers of Iran, Russia, and Turkey. The UN official said that the ministers expressed their support for this call, and expressed hope that he would be able to announce the date of those talks soon.

The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria indicated that he also held discussions with representatives from France, the United States, Britain, Germany, and the European Union, and that he continues his intensive consultations.

Geir Pedersen said that the need for an orderly political transition in Syria has never been more urgent than at the present time, starting with the development of comprehensive and credible transitional measures. He added: “For this, we need an urgent and serious process, radically different from what happened before. This must be the beginning of a process that leads to achieving the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people and restoring the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria.”

He renewed his call for de-escalation, calm, avoiding bloodshed, and protecting civilians in line with international humanitarian law.