Geir Pedersen, the UN’s special envoy for Syria, said that only a political solution would bring peace to the country.

 

“This political solution is the only path to sustainable peace,” Pedersen told the UN Security Council, from the Swiss city of Geneva via video link.

 

 

The envoy appealed to the council to support his efforts to move the parties to a negotiated political solution to end the 11-year conflict in Syria.

 

 

“Sadly, we are a long way away from this goal at present, and there are challenging diplomatic and ground realities that make advancing towards a comprehensive solution difficult.

 

 

“But the status quo should not be accepted and there are ways forward,” he said.

 

 

So far, the political process has not delivered for the Syrian people, and conflict remains “very active” across the country, said Pedersen.

 

 

He said the terrorist group ISIL remains a serious threat in Syria.

 

 

“One of the largest weapons caches was recently discovered in the northeast, underscoring the insurgents’ continued capacity to carry out attacks,” the envoy said.

 

 

Meanwhile, in the northeast, drone strikes, mutual shelling and confrontations have been reported between the Syrian Democratic Forces on the one hand, and Türkiye and armed opposition groups on the other.