In Geneva, UN envoy on Syria meets with officials from the Russian Federation and United Kingdom

The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, met today in Geneva with senior officials from the Russian Federation and the United Kingdom to discuss how to help Syrians move towards launching a political process, a spokesman for the UN has confirmed.

Briefing journalists in New York, Stéphane Dujarric, the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, said that, Mr. de Mistura also received the envoy of the Syrian National Coalition of Opposition and Revolutionary Forces, Haitham al-Maleh, who delivered a letter from the Coalition explaining and elaborating his Organization’s position on the way to resolve the conflict in Syria.

According to Mr. Dujarric, the Special Envoy encouraged continued contribution by the Coalition to the Geneva consultations and also discussed perspectives on a political solution to the Syrian conflict with Syrian activist Samir Al-Taqi, currently the General Director of the Orient Research Centre in Dubai.

At the end of the day’s meetings, Mr. de Mistura said the rich discussions with Syrian and international interlocutors were another stark reminder of a shared sense of urgency to help Syrian people reach a political solution to the end the conflict.

The talks are aimed to bolster implementation of the Geneva Communiqué, which was adopted after the first international meeting on the issue on 30 June 2012, and since endorsed by the UN Security Council.

The document 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.