Statement on behalf of the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura

Special Envoy de Mistura visited Damascus today and met Mr. Walid Al-Moualem, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Syrian Arab Republic.

They had a frank and intense exchange of views in a cordial atmosphere.

The meeting took place following that of the Secretary-General and Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Moualem in New York on 28 September 2018, and against the backdrop of continuing consultations of the Special Envoy on the launch of a constitutional committee giving effect to the Sochi Final Statement, in the context of the Geneva political process and the implementation of Security Council resolution 2254 (2015).

The Special Envoy will report to the Secretary-General. He also looks forward to briefing the Security Council.

He will be engaging in intensive further consultations in the period ahead as he continues the task of verifying the possibilities for convening a credible and balanced UN-facilitated, Syrian-owned and Syrian-led constitutional committee, and in this context will continue to fully discharge his mandate for the remainder of his tenure.

Geneva, 24 October 2018