UN envoy's talks in Syria focus on reducing violence, increasing aid

The UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, wrapped up two days of intensive discussions in Damascus with the Syrian government, including a meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Wednesday morning, said a UN spokesman.

After the meeting, the envoy told reporters that the discussion focused on reducing violence and increasing humanitarian access to all Syrian, said UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here. "He discussed the issue of the United Nations proposal for a freeze in the city of Aleppo."

"The special envoy added that he will now travel to New York to report back to the (UN) secretary-general and the Security Council, " the spokesman said. "He said he would speak to the Council during a meeting on Syria on February 17."

"My focus has been and is the importance of reducing the violence and conflict for the Syrian people, (and) the increase and unimpeded access of humanitarian assistance to all Syrians," the special envoy said in Damascus.

"But of course the heart of my mission is to try to facilitate any political process that can lead to a political solution for a conflict that has lasted too long and that has no military solution," de Mistura said.

In October 2014, de Mistura put forward an "action plan" for Syria proposing to "freeze" fighting in local areas to allow for aid deliveries and to pave the way for peace talks.

He has frequently said the northern city of Aleppo, Syria's commercial hub before the war, would be a "good candidate" for such a "freeze." Since July 2012, Syria's second city Aleppo has been divided into rebel and regime-controlled areas.

On July 10, 2014, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced that he has appointed veteran diplomat de Mistura as the new special envoy tasked with seeking a peaceful resolution of the ongoing conflict in Syria.

De Mistura, who has served as the head of the UN missions in Iraq and Afghanistan, will take on the peace-facilitation role previously held by Lakhdar Brahimi, who resigned in May, and before that by Kofi Annan.

The conflict in Syria, which began in March 2011, has led to well over 150,000 deaths, and more than 680,000 people injured. More than 9.3 million people are in need of assistance inside Syria, including at least 6.5 million who are internally displaced.

The conflict has also spawned a refugee crisis in which some 2. 5 million people are being sheltered in neighboring countries. Several rounds of Syria negotiations have ended in futile.

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