Addressing reporters in New York earlier this afternoon, UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said Staffan de Mistura met this morning with a delegation of the Syrian Popular Front for Change and Liberation, led by Qadri Jameel, who briefed on various perspectives on resolving the Syrian conflict while also addressing the deteriorating situation in Syria and in the region.

According to the UN, during Syria’s tragic five-year arc of conflict, 220,000 people have been killed, more than one million have been injured, 7.6 million have been displaced and four million people have sought refuge in neighbouring countries. And the suffering continues to this day. 

 

In the past weeks alone, well over 100,000 people were displaced in a new wave of fighting in Idlib while some 14 million people are now displaced due to the interlinked crises in Syria and Iraq.

The UN envoy also reportedly received a delegation from the People’s Republic of China, with whom he discussed the ongoing efforts of the international community to help Syrians end their conflict through political means, as well as the role of the UN and the Security Council.

Meanwhile, this afternoon, a delegation of the State of Qatar briefed the Special Envoy on regional efforts in support of a political solution to the Syrian conflict, Haq noted.

Against that backdrop, Nabil Elaraby, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, joined today's Geneva Consultations, impressing upon Staffan the significance of engaging regional countries and organizations in constructive efforts to end the conflict in Syria.

The ongoing consultations – facilitated by the UN and Staffan – are aimed at bolstering 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.

Photo: UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré