UN envoy on Syria meets Saudi minister; stresses need to involve regional actors in consultations

As part of ongoing Geneva consultations on Syria, the United Nations Special Envoy for the country, Staffan de Mistura, met today with Prince Mohammed bin Saud bin Khaled Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Information and Technology Affairs.

According to UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, Mr. de Mistura stressed after the meeting that the opinions of Saudi Arabia had to be taken into account during the consultations because of the country’s status as an important player in the region.

“It is clear that any political process to end the Syrian conflict needs to be supported and facilitated by the regional parties,” he said, adding that Mr. de Mistura also consulted Kofi Annan, the former UN Special Envoy, to better understand the process that had led to the Geneva Communiqué.

The Communiqué was adopted after the first international meeting on the issue on 30 June 2012, and since endorsed by the UN Security Council. It lays out key steps in a process to end the violence. Among others, it calls for the establishment of a transitional governing body, with full executive powers and made up by members of the present Government and the opposition and other groups, as part of agreed principles and guidelines for a Syrian-led political transition.

The consultations between Mr. Annan and Mr. de Mistura were important to better understand the complexities and various challenges surrounding the Communiqué, which is considered a crucial tool in trying to re-commit all parties to a meaningful political process, said the spokesperson.

The Special Envoy also began consultations via telephone with several other interested parties.