Syria talks to convene in February in Geneva

By Fatih Erel

GENEVA

The UN Special Envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, intends to convene Syria peace talks here in February, the organization said in a statement Monday.

"The Special Envoy welcomes the adoption of Security Council resolution 2328 (2016) on Syria. He hopes that this could be a beginning of the restoration of the unity of the Security Council. Along with the wider UN system, the Office of the Special Envoy will be fully engaged in promoting the operational implementation of the resolution on the ground," according to a statement attributed to de Mistura’s spokesman.

The UN Security Council on Monday voted unanimously to immediately send monitors to eastern Aleppo as thousands of civilians prepare to vacate what was once considered an opposition stronghold.

"The Special Envoy will be comprehensively consulting the parties and the broadest spectrum of Syrian stakeholders, and the countries of the region and the wider international community, to carefully prepare negotiations," it said.

"The Special Envoy wishes to announce that it is the intention of the United Nations to convene those negotiations in Geneva on 8 February 2017," the statement said.

A trilateral meeting between Turkey, Russia and Iran on Syria will be held Tuesday in Moscow.

By Fatih Erel

GENEVA

The UN Special Envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, intends to convene Syria peace talks here in February, the organization said in a statement Monday.

The UN Security Council on Monday voted unanimously to immediately send monitors to eastern Aleppo as thousands of civilians prepare to vacate what was once considered an opposition stronghold.

"The Special Envoy wishes to announce that it is the intention of the United Nations to convene those negotiations in Geneva on 8 February 2017," the statement said.

A trilateral meeting between Turkey, Russia and Iran on Syria will be held Tuesday in Moscow.