There Should be No Preconditions for Intra-Syrian Dialogue: De Mistura

GENEVA, (ST)- The Intra-Syrian Dialogue should be held without preconditions, UN Chief’s Special Envoy for Syria Staffan De Mistura has reaffirmed, pointing out that there won’t be a military solution to the crisis in Syria.

During a press conference in Geneva on Thursday, de Mistura  said “we insist on the our willing to resume the intra-Syrian dialogue by the end of August,” stressing that humanitarian action “can’t be useful without a political process.”

 He noted that knowing who will participate in the intra-Syrian dialogue, for the opposition side, depends on the results of the Turkish President Recepe Tayyib Erdogan’s visit to Russia.

De Mistura said that the United Nations backs the Russian-American discussions and procedures aiming to consolidate the cessation of hostilities agreement in Syria, asserting that time is a basic element in this respect.   

On the other hand, de Mistura said that the delivery of humanitarian assistance to people in Aleppo requires a 48 hours long halt of fighting, because, according to him, a three-hour halt is not enough for aid delivery, pointing out that Russia expressed its readiness to discuss improving this humanitarian truce initiative.

Hamda Mustafa