NEW YORK - Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said on Wednesday that their special envoy to Syria “strongly” encourages the US and Turkey to endorse a nationwide ceasefire in Syria to bring stability to the Kurdish-held areas.
Dujarric told Rudaw during a press briefing that the UN welcomes the Monday agreement between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the new Syrian authority which seeks the integration of the SDF into the security apparatus and a nationwide ceasefire.
“Our special envoy for Syria, Geir Pederson, hopes that an agreement can support and feed into a broader, credible and inclusive political transition process in line with the key principles of Security Council Resolution 2254 that leads to a new constitution and free and fair elections,” Dujarric said.
Pederson “strongly encourages key international stakeholders, including the United States and Turkey, and regional partners, to support their Syrian partners. That includes supporting a nationwide ceasefire and ensuring genuine compromises that enable peace and stability to take hold in the northeast part of Syria,” he added, referring to the SDF-held areas.
SDF has said that despite their agreement to a nationwide ceasefire, Turkey and the militia groups it supports continue attacking the SDF positions in northern Syria.
The landmark agreement between the SDF and Damascus has been welcomed by many regional and Western countries, including Turkey. The Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hoped on Tuesday that all eight articles of the agreement, which includes the handover of an airport, oilfields and border crossings to Damascus, are fully implemented.
Dujarric also said that Pederson and his representatives “have met and continue to meet all the relevant actors… It's critical that all of them who have influence on the parties use that influence for the benefit of the people in the country, and we hope that that will happen.”
