The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, said on Friday a committee representing the Syrian opposition and the Assad regime will meet for a seventh round of talks in Geneva on March 21 over draft constitutional reforms.
With regards to the humanitarian situation on the ground, Pedersen told the Security Council that “Syrians across the country and those who are displaced are facing poverty and hunger at levels higher than at any point in the conflict.”
The envoy also paid attention to “shelling, skirmishes, IEDs and security incidents across frontlines in the northwest, the northeast, and the southwest,” which are regarded as “signs of an ongoing hot conflict.”
Pedersen advocated the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 2585 to end “stalemate” and “acute suffering.”
“A sense of compromise and constructive engagement from all delegations” was urged so that the Committee can produce results and demonstrate continued progress.
Other than meeting with the regime and the Syrian Negotiations Commission in Istanbul and in Geneva, Pedersen added that he “held in-depth discussions with the foreign ministers of Turkey, Jordan, and Russia” in February. He briefed the Council on his consultation with the Women’s Advisory Board in Norway and provided information on a meeting to be held on Sunday with the Syrian civil society representatives.
The UN’s road map to peace in Syria, which is backed by the Security Council, calls for the drafting of a new constitution and UN-supervised elections with all Syrians, including those abroad, allowed to participate.
