By Merve Aydogan
TORONTO, Canada (AA) - The UN special envoy for Syria on Tuesday issued a formal invitation for a ninth round of peace talks in Geneva for late April.
Speaking at a UN Security Council session on the situation in the Middle East, Geir Pedersen said the previous invitation for Syrian-led, UN-facilitated talks did not take place because "Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov confirmed this month that Russia no longer considers Switzerland a neutral venue and the Syrian government did not accept Geneva as a result."
Pledging to support an alternative venue that the Assad regime and Syrian negotiations commission could agree on, Pedersen also said: "The only way forward at this time is to reconvene in Geneva at least as a breaching proposal. While there is no consensus on an alternative venue, whilst also remaining open to an alternative venue for future sessions, if consensus is found."
"I am today issuing formal invitations for a ninth round in Geneva in late April," he added.
Urging all international stakeholders to support UN actions, Pedersen also called on them to "refrain from interfering regarding a venue Syrian parties themselves had formally agreed."
The Syrian civil war began in 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protesters.
According to UN estimates, hundreds of thousands of people have since been killed and millions more displaced.
Pedersen also voiced concerns over rising tensions in the region, saying that it needs to be "urgently de-escalating, stopping with the immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza that the Secretary General has called for."
He further urged an "urgent de-escalation inside Syria, building on existing ceasefire arrangements towards a nationwide ceasefire in line with Resolution 2254," which calls for a cease-fire and political settlement in Syria.
"Civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected," he added.