Geneva talks on Syria to be reconvened on May 16: UN

By Sorwar Alam

ANKARA (AA) - UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura will reconvene the Syrian peace negotiations between the regime and the opposition in Geneva on May 16, his office announced Monday.

“Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura will reconvene the intra-Syrian talks under the auspices of the United Nations in Geneva on 16 May 2017,” said a statement from the Office of the Special Envoy for Syria.

De Mistura voiced hope that the agreement reached last week in Astana among Turkey, Russia and Iran on the creation of four “de-escalation” zones would be fully implemented.

“In this round and subsequent ones, he is looking forward to intensified work with invitees on the items on agenda of the talks, within the context of the overall framework of relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular resolution 2254 (2015)," the statement said.

That resolution endorsed a road map for peace in the war-torn country and set out a timetable for talks.

“As preparations for talks continue, the special Envoy reiterates his hope that the agreement reached last week in Astana among guarantors of the ceasefire announced on 29 December 20016 will be implemented in full – thus bringing about a significant de-escalation in violence, and helping shape an environment conducive to the political intra-Syrian talks in Geneva," the statement added.

De Mistura is scheduled to brief the UN Security Council later in May.

The humanitarian tragedy unfolding during Syria's six-year war has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of people and displaced millions, triggering a refuge crisis with regional and global ramifications.