Watchful of the situation in Raqqa, Syria, UN chief urges need to revive political process

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres is urging all sides involved in the fight for Raqqa, Syria, to protect civilians, abide with international law, and allow humanitarian access to those in need.

In a statement from his Spokesperson, the Secretary-General also said the latest developments in Syria “point once against to the urgent need to reinvigorate the political process.”

The Spokesperson said that Mr. Guterres had directed his Special Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, to intensify efforts, in consultation with all concerned, to reconvene the next round of the intra-Syrian talks on the basis of the Geneva communique and relevant Security Council resolutions, including resolution 2254 (2015).

The next round is expected to be held at the end of this month or in early November, according to comments Mr. de Mistura made at the Security Council in September.

The 10-15 July round of the UN-facilitated talks, ended with incremental progress but no breakthrough.