LOC20:24
17:24 GMT
NEW YORK, June 27 (KUNA) -- UN Special envoy for Syria said the situation on the ground presents a mixed picture, while some positive developments were taking place.
Staffan De Mistura told the Security Council on Tuesday that they are at the time of testing whether the political will exists for real deescalation and more meaningful political talks in order to move beyond preparatory talks.
"Throughout this period the UN has been active convening joint-technical meetings with opposition experts seeking to support the efforts of the Astana (Kazakhstan) guarantors on the escalation, consulting widely including in Moscow (Russia), and in Paris (France) and with many others and laying the basis for a new round Geneva talks," he said.
He told the 15-member body that that during the sixth round of intra-Syrian talks in Geneva he announced the establishment of a technical consultative process of expert meetings to address constitutional and legal issues in the context of the intra-Syrian talks.
This initiative, he said, can be an additional/abolishing layer believing it to be very "helpful in accelerating the real talks."
De Mistura also discussed preparations for the round of talks that is to be held next month in Geneva and he proposed holding a further round of talks in August or early September, prior to the next session of the General Assembly. He also said he plans to be present for talks being held in Astana on July 4-5.
He confirmed that violence is clearly down in Syria since the signing in May of the de-escalation agreement, and many towns have returned to "some degree of normalcy." However, the UN official added that in some areas, fighting has continued and even intensified.
He also warned that the improvements in the security situation have not resulted in equivalent gains in humanitarian access.
Prior to the meeting, Deputy Permanent Representative of UK Peter Wilson told the press that it is vital that political talks resume in Geneva given the increased violence, in particular regime strikes in Deraa. "It shows how vitally important this is and we will want to reiterate our very strong support for him and for the political process in Geneva," he added. (end)
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