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UN says bombings in Brussels show need to 'end fires of war' in Syria UN says bombings in Brussels show need to 'end fires of war' in Syria
(35 minutes later)
The terrorist attacks in Brussels claimed by Islamic State have placed a duty on negotiators to find a political solution and extinguish the fires of the Syrian civil war, the UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura has said, after a further round of talks produced no detectable breakthrough. The terrorist attacks in Brussels for which Islamic State has claimed responsibility have placed a duty on negotiators to find a political solution and extinguish the fires of the Syrian civil war, the UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura has said, after a further round of talks produced no detectable breakthrough. De Mistura urged all sides at the talks to keep in mind the horrors of Istanbul and Brussels – a city he described as the moral capital of Europe.
De Mistura urged all sides at the talks to keep in mind the horrors of Istanbul and Brussels – a city he described as the moral capital of Europe. Speaking in Geneva, he claimed that the Brussels attacks showed “there was no time to lose”, as he tried to lever the two sides closer to one another. He insisted that the lack of a visible agreed agenda, and the accusatory public statements of both delegations, should not be taken as a true picture of the team’s private positions. He claimed that the atmosphere was better than at any previous round of negotiations.
Speaking in Geneva he claimed the Brussels attacks showed “there was no time to lose”, as he tried to lever the two sides closer to one another. De Mistura was speaking after a further round of talks on Tuesday with the high negotiations committee, the umbrella body for the opposition parties. “The message we are drawing out is that we need to end the fires of war,” he said. “We need to find a political solution in Syria to make sure we can all concentrate on what is the real danger for Europe, in the world and in Syria.”
He insisted the lack of a visible agreed agenda, and the accusatory public statements of both delegations should not be taken as a true picture of the team’s private positions. He insisted the atmosphere was better than at any previous round of negotiations. The opening round of talks is due to end on Thursday, and he said he hoped meetings in Moscow between the US secretary of state, John Kerry, and the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, starting on Tuesday, might give the talks some impetus.
De Mistura was speaking after a further round of talks on Tuesday with the high negotiations committee, the umbrella body for the opposition parties. De Mistura added: “We are looking with great interest, expectation and hope that the talks in Moscow will be productive – and honestly, not everything will be solved in one day – but productive in the right direction to help us to resume the talks with much more in-depth address on the issue of political transition.”
“The message we are drawing out is that we need to end the fires of war,” he said. “We need to find a political solution in Syria to make sure we can all concentrate on what is the real danger for Europe in the world and in Syria.”
The opening round of talks is due to end Thursday, and he said he hoped meetings between the US secretary of state, John Kerry, and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, starting on Tuesday, might give the talks some impetus.
De Mistura added: “We are looking with great interest, expectation and hope that the talks in Moscow will be productive – and honestly not everything will be solved in one day but productive in the right direction to help us to resume the talks with much more in-depth address on the issue of political transition.”
De Mistura is struggling to persuade the Syrian government delegation to engage with the issue of the shape of a political transition.De Mistura is struggling to persuade the Syrian government delegation to engage with the issue of the shape of a political transition.
The Syrian opposition leader, Assad al-Zubi, said: “We are not finding any common ground in the paper submitted by the government to [De Mistura]”. The Syrian opposition leader, Assad al-Zubi, said: “We are not finding any common ground in the paper submitted by the government to [De Mistura]”. He said that over recent days, government forces had stepped up barrel bomb attacks and besieged 13 new areas, taking the number of sieges to 25.
He said that over recent days, government forces had stepped up barrel bomb attacks and besieged 13 new areas, taking the number of seiges to 25. He also said the Syrian government were showing no interest in the issue of political transition, and were instead putting forward papers on issues unrelated to the talks, such as calling for recovery of the Golan Heights for Syria.
He also said the Syrian government were showing no interest in the issue of political transition, and were instead putting forward papers on issues unrelated to the talks such as calling for recovery of the Golan Heights for Syria. De Mistura has tabled a paper with 29 questions asking the delegations to give their view on how a transitional governing body would function, its powers, its composition, and its commitment to non-sectarianism. It also sets out questions about the relationship between the transitional body and existing state institutions including the presidency of Bashar al-Assad.
De Mistura has tabled a paper with 29 questions asking the delegations to give their view on a transitional governing body would function, its powers, its composition and commitment to non sectarianism. It also sets out questions about the relationship between the transitional body and existing state institutions including the presidency of Bashar al-Assad.