No party can dictate the outcome of Syrian conflict – UN envoy
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said that he informed the foreign ministers of the Astana Group – Russia, Turkey and Iran – that none of them can dictate the outcome of the Syrian conflict, while stressing that the same goes for The West.
Pedersen met with the foreign ministers of Turkey, Iran and Russia on Wednesday in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Pedersen said that he had told the ministers, “None of you can dictate the outcome of the conflict,” adding that “The same, of course, is understood by the Americans and the Europeans.”
Pederson added, “The situation in Syria is becoming more difficult by the day when it comes to the economic conditions, reminding them that 9 out of 10 Syrians are living in poverty and that we have more than 14 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.”
Around 12 million Syrians are now struggling with food insecurity, said a report published by the World Food Program (WFP) in July 2022. “That is more than half the population and 51 percent more than in 2019.”
“You have five armies operating within the same territory – the Iranians, the Americans, Russians, Israelis and of course the Turks,” Pedersen said, adding that Syria is divided in at least three different areas (the Syrian government, the Syrian opposition, and the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration).
Pedersen described the UN-mediated Constitutional Committee – which was formed to bring the Syrian government and opposition together within the context of finding a political solution – as a “disappointment,” because “the committee has not delivered what we expected of it.”
Regarding Turkey’s intentions to launch a military operation into northern Syria, Pedersen said, “There is an understanding that there are Turkish security interests. That there is a legitimate interest that needs to be addressed. Hopefully that can be addressed within the context of Russian-Turkish discussion and Turkish-American discussions, as has happened before. And that we very much hope that the focus would be, as I said, on addressing humanitarian issues and concentrating on the political trend.”
Since May 23, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly expressed his country’s interest to carry out another major military cross-border incursion into northern Syria. Erdogan specified his targets in the two northern Syrian cities of Manbij and Tel Rifaat.
Speaking of how The West has changed its view about the Syrian government, Pedersen clarified that “The West, from 2011 to 2015, believed in regime change, advocated for regime change.” However, that view has gradually changed from 2015 to 2020, the envoy said, noting the US openly says that “it is not pursuing a regime change in Syria.”
He continued, “Only by moving the political process forward in a real and comprehensive way, in line with resolution 2254, can we meet the aspirations of the Syrian people and restore Syria’s sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity.”
The UN envoy stressed that there are “no guarantees if we don’t move towards… a nationwide cease-fire, and get the political process back on track, that things cannot collapse again.”