UN envoy: Syria needs political settlement based on UN resolution

New UN envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen said SUNday that he is concentrating on moving forward in the implementation of UN Security CoUNcil Resolution (UNSC) 2254 on a Political settlement in Syria.

"I am looking very much forward to my discussion with the government here,"Pedersen told reporters on arrival in Damascus."We will always concentrate on how we can move forward in the implementation of the UNSC Resolution 2254 which is my mandate, and hopefully that could lead to a Syrian-led, Syrian-owned Political process facilitated by the UNited Nations."

The resolution, UNanimously adopted on December 18, 2015, calls for a cease-fire and Political settlement in Syria.

Pedersen prepared to hold talks with Syrian Foreign Ministry officials in Damascus on SUNday, saying that he will discuss the briefing he made at the UNSC late last month.

UNited Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen arriving in Damascus, Syria, March 17, 2019. /VCG Photo

He vowed at the UNSC to work "impartially and diligently to discharge the mandate given to me in the Resolution 2254 to facilitate the Political process" in late February.

It will require the cooperation of all Syrian and international parties, the readiness of all to deal seriously with the realities of the conflict and to work together to move things step by step in a positive direction, he said.

Fighters of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) walk to a position in the village of Baghouz, near Syria's border with Iraq, in eastern Deir Ezzor province, Syria, March 15, 2019. /VCG Photo

He said that Resolution 2254 contains all the elements required for a Political solution, adding that it begins by respecting the sovereignty, UNity, independence and territorial integrity of Syria and provides a roadmap for a truly Syrian-led and -owned Political process.

According to him, this is a key as a real peace process in Syria needs to be owned by the Syrians.

(Cover: Syrian refugees prepare to return to Syria from the Lebanese border town of Arsal, Lebanon, JUNe 28, 2018. /VCG Photo)