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Real peace in Syria needs to be owned by Syrians - UN envoy

NEW YORK, Feb 28 (KUNA) -- Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for Syria Geir Pedersen on Thursday stressed that a real peace process in Syria needs to be owned by the Syrians for it to be sustainable.
Briefing the UN Security Council for the first time in his present capacity, he demanded compliance with international law and stressing a need to protect civilians, ensure unfettered humanitarian access and cease hostilities. Pedersen noted that, in recent meetings, he reminded all parties of the provisions of resolution 2254 (2015) on elements required for a political solution.
Summarizing meetings in Syria with the government, which reaffirmed an agreement to sustained dialogue based on resolution 2254 (2015), he said engagements with stakeholders have been frank, practical and constructive.
"We are not starting from scratch. We have 12 living principles developed by the Syrians in Geneva and affirmed in Sochi. We have baskets that have formed an agreed agenda of intra-Syrian talks under United Nations facilitation," he said.
Outlining several pertinent issues going forward, he said it was essential that he have direct and effective engagement with the Government of Syria and the opposition.
There is a shared sense that battlefield developments might be winding down, he said, but the conflict is far from over and the challenges of winning peace are staggering in scale and complexity.
Large tracts of territory remain outside government hands and while the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) is nearly defeated, but could re-emerge.
Meanwhile half of the population is displaced, with 5.6 million refugees and 6.6 million internally displaced persons; 80 per cent of Syrians live below the poverty line, half are unemployed and 11.7 million need humanitarian aid.
Pleased with the recent convoy to reach 40,000 internally displaced persons in Rukban, he said the United Nations stood ready to support a durable solution.
However, socioeconomic challenges are acute and eight years of war has transformed society, making it ever more difficult for women, who have become primary breadwinners while facing increased forms of violence. Syria remains volatile for those who remain inside and those wishing to return.
Citing some achievements, he was encouraged by the release of 42 detainees and abductees conducted by the Russian-Turkish framework, but these efforts must be scaled up.
In addition, the Syrian people need to be engaged and involved in the effort to build confidence and trust and search for peace, he said, noting that his team met with more than 200 civil society actors.
While deepening dialogue with partners, he sensed a wide acceptance of convening a credible and balanced constitutional committee as soon as possible, which can be "a door opener to a deeper dialogue and genuine negotiations". For his part, he would work towards improving international dialogue and cooperation.
However, several challenges must be urgently addressed to avoid renewed escalations of violence that could spill over the borders, he said, noting that intensive diplomacy is under way, but more is needed regarding the future situation in the north-east.
"I believe a way forward is needed that ensures the unity and territorial integrity of Syria," he said.
Welcoming the recent Sochi Summit's fresh impetus to fully implement the Idlib Memorandum, he urged stakeholders to continue to focus on this leading up to the next Astana meeting.
For its part, the global community must ensure that international norms against chemical weapons use are respected. In addition, the growing risk of further confrontations between Israel and Iran in Syria should not be overlooked.
"There are real possibilities for strengthening international support and I believe we need to be creative in this regard. "If we are to see how issues can be unblocked and how to help the parties move in a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned process, a common forum where key States engage seriously on those issues may be needed," he said.
Pledging to pursue these areas in the period ahead, he said, "Syrians have every capacity to live in peace and a political settlement is plainly needed if we are to see real and genuine reconciliation.
There is no military solution and the true victors will be those who can move beyond slogans and paint a hopeful picture of what Syria could look like in 10 years - a picture that all Syrians can support, even if the road towards it will be long and hard." Noting that over his career, he has worked with problems that seemed totally intractable involving dynamics that seemed eternally fixed. But, I know first-hand that history can bend in directions that nobody anticipated," he added. (end) asf.gb