UN to host Syria talks in Geneva next month

Europe, Middle East, News April 25, 2015 , by IRIA No Comments

The UN says it will host separate talks with warring sides in Syria next month in a bid to put an end to more than four years of conflict in the Arab country.

UN spokesman, Ahmad Fawzi, told journalists that invitations had been sent out to all parties who could help end the crisis, including different Syrian factions as well as regional and international players.

He said Iran, which was absent in previous negotiations in Switzerland, has been invited to the talks as well.

According to Fawzi, the talks led by UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura will kick off in the Swiss city of Geneva on May 4 and will last from four to six weeks.

Stressing that terrorist groups such as ISIS and Al-Nusra will not be taking part in the talks, he added that there will be “those who have relationships with them and, those who can communicate with them.”

Syria has been grappling with a deadly crisis since March 2011. The violence fueled by terrorist groups has so far claimed the lives of over 222,000 people, according to the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) says over 7.2 million people have been internally displaced, and more than 3 million fled the country.

Previous UN-mediated talks on Syria have failed to reach a solution to end the conflict in the Arab country.

In a statement on Friday, the UN Security Council warned against the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Syria, urging all parties to the conflict to put an immediate end to all forms of violence in the war-stricken country.

AR/HMV/SS