- Title: U.N. hopes for Syria peace talks in October or November
- Date: 17th August 2017
- Summary: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND (AUGUST 17, 2017) (REUTERS) UNITED NATIONS ENTRANCE WITH FLAGS UNITED NATIONS SIGN UNITED NATIONS SPECIAL ENVOY FOR SYRIA, STAFFAN DE MISTURA, AND UNITED NATIONS HUMANITARIAN ADVISER FOR SYRIA, JAN EGELAND, ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNITED NATIONS SPECIAL ENVOY FOR SYRIA, STAFFAN DE MISTURA, SAYING: "In October, there is a potential likelihood that in Riyadh or somewhere else, there will be a major opportunity for the opposition to take stock of the realities on the ground, take stock of their own need to be unified and take stock of their own need to have a common platform for a negotiation with the government." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNITED NATIONS SPECIAL ENVOY FOR SYRIA, STAFFAN DE MISTURA, SAYING: "Regarding the (Syrian) government, we are counting very much on Russia, on Iran, on anyone who has got a major influence, and on the government of Syria to be ready finally to initiate when they are invited to Geneva, a genuine, direct negotiation with whatever (opposition) platform comes out." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS JOURNALIST FILMING (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNITED NATIONS HUMANITARIAN ADVISER FOR SYRIA, JAN EGELAND, SAYING: "The convoy that is now unloading in Douma is a hugely symbolic convoy. It's the first inter-agency convoy with U.N. - SARC (Syrian Arab Red Crescent)/Red Cross to, of this size, to eastern, to Douma, eastern Ghouta since beginning of May. It took lot of effort, a lot of negotiation and a lot of help from Russia and others to make it happen." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS DE MISTURA AND EGELAND LEAVING NEWS CONFERENCE UNITED NATIONS ENTRANCE WITH FLAG UNITED NATIONS LOGO
- Embargoed: 31st August 2017 15:14
- Keywords: Syria peace talks United Nations U.N. Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura Jan Egeland Syrian opposition Syrian government
- Location: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
- City: GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
- Country: Switzerland
- Topics: Government/Politics,United Nations
- Reuters ID: LVA0016UJPSNB
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:The United Nations hopes for a "direct negotiation" between the government and a still-to-be-formed unified Syrian opposition in October or November, U.N. Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura said on Thursday (August 17).
After seven previous rounds that have failed to persuade the adversaries to hold face-to-face talks, let alone make progress, the veteran diplomat outlined a new timetable for talks to end the six-year war in which hundreds of thousands of people have been killed.
He said he expected a meeting in October, possibly in Riyadh, among the three opposition delegations "to take stock of the realities on the ground", with a view to consolidation.
The main opposition is the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) but there are two other dissident groupings, the "Moscow" and "Cairo" platforms. The two, much less opposed to President Bashar al-Assad than the HNC, each comprise some activists but do not control territory or have strong links with armed groups.
De Mistura also said that a letter from Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in early August had paved the way for Russian military police to be staged along the route of a U.N.-Red Cross convoy which reached the besieged rebel-held town of Douma, in eastern Ghouta near Damascus, on Thursday.
The successful convoy, the first since May, consisted of 50 trucks carrying relief items for 35,000 people. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2017. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None