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.”
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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 into 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.”
This article was edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
