Confidence building crucial to break Syria political deadlock- Pedersen
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, said on Wednesday a comprehensive solution for the Syrian crisis is still hard to achieve. He called for taking “concrete moves” and confidence-building measures to break the political stalemate.
Pedersen said in UN Security Council briefing in New York, urging political leaders and international community to take actions to “arrest the downward slide in Syria” as suffering and the sense of hopelessness among the Syrian people increases.
Pedersen described the current situation as getting “worse and worse, it could well unravel, and this will lead to new challenges.”
“We need the political process to start to deliver on the ground and to deliver hope,” he said.
Pedersen attributed the stalemate status to several factors, such as “gaps of political will, the distance between substantive positions of the parties, deep distrust, and the challenging international climate.”
He noted that the Syrian parties to the conflict and key international actors need ” a shift in mindset” in order to move forward.
The way forward “would see real confidence building via mutual and reciprocal steps” to tackle protection and livelihood concerns, the Special Envoy said.
He warned if the situation remains unchanged, it would lead to a deterioration on the humanitarian, security and institutional levels that will affect not only the Syrian people but the region as well.