UN special envoy for Syria meets Syrian sides, key international actors to de-escalate situation

By Merve Aydogan

HAMILTON, Canada (AA) - The UN on Wednesday reported that UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen met Syrian figures and international actors to reduce tensions.

"Our Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, has been working the phones with the full range of Syrian parties and key international stakeholders," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference.

That was after clashes broke out Nov. 27 between Assad regime forces and anti-regime armed groups in the western countryside of Aleppo in northern Syria, marking a re-escalation of the fighting after a period of relative calm in the conflict that has gripped Syria for nearly 14 years.

Dujarric said Pedersen met Wednesday in Geneva with representatives from Russia, Türkiye and the US as part of an "ad hoc cease-fire task force" established by the International Syria Support Group (ISSG).

It was established in February 2022 to "take immediate steps to secure the full support of all parties to the conflict for a cessation of hostilities," according to the UN office of the special envoy of the secretary-general for Syria.

Dujarric said Pedersen held talks with Iranian foreign minister's senior advisor for special political affairs Asghar Khaji and Bassam al-Sabbagh, the Syrian regime's foreign minister.

"Mr. Pedersen will soon be traveling to Doha for a number of meetings" to help de-escalate the situation in Syria, he added.

Emphasizing the importance of a political solution, Dujarric stated, "His message to all is the same: it is urgent to de-escalate, it is urgent to protect civilians, and it is urgent to prevent further bloodshed."