Russian, UN diplomats discuss Syrian settlement in Moscow

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – Senior Russian and UN diplomats discussed the settlement of the Syrian crisis at a meeting in Moscow on Thursday.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin and UN Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen had a detailed discussion on Syria, with a focus on finding a political settlement to the issue, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

"Particular attention was paid to the tasks of advancing the political process led and carried out by the Syrians themselves with the support of the UN while respecting the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of the SAR (Syrian Arab Republic)," the statement said.

The two officials also discussed current humanitarian issues, such as overcoming the effects of the Feb. 6 earthquake.

"The need to provide assistance to Syrians without discrimination, politicization, and preconditions in accordance with the guiding principles and norms of international humanitarian law was emphasized," the statement said.