ENVOYÉ SPÉCIAL DE L'ONU POUR LA SYRIE: DÉCLARATION D'OUVERTURE LORS D'UNE CONFÉRENCE PRESSE SUR LES CONSULTATIONS DE GENÈVE SUR LA SYRIE (en anglais)

(Near verbatim transcript)

United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura (SES): I am pleased to address you today here in Geneva. As you know, it was announced after my briefing to the Security Council and upon instructions from the Secretary-General starting this week – today, we, the Office of the Special Envoy for Syria – will be engaging in a series of consultations with a view to ‘operationalizing’ the Geneva Communique.

With the conflict now in its fifth year and three years since the adoption of the Geneva Communiqué, little, if anything, has moved. Despite negotiations in Geneva in early 2014, launched in Montreux, there has only been limited progress on a political solution and efforts to stop the fighting in certain areas.

Yet the conflict has intensified. As has the tragedy endured by the Syrian people. As recent weeks have highlighted the situation on the ground has become all the more grave. This was again reinforced during the Ministerial Meeting of the Security Council on the humanitarian situation, held in New York on 24 April 2015.

The above only underscores the Secretary-General’s conviction that we must redouble efforts in search of a political process. This view is shared by the wider international community. Russia helpfully refocused attention on the political track earlier this year through Moscow I and Moscow II. There was also a useful meeting in Cairo. And last week the Security Council fully expressed to me that another attempt to politically resolve the conflict should be made even if the odds of success are low. The only way is to test the willingness of the parties to narrow the gaps. Indeed, when it comes to Syria there is never a perfect moment for talks. Yet this is no excuse for us to wait while Syrian victims are reduced to statistics.

Guns will fall silent one day – it is inevitable as has been seen in countless other conflicts. The sooner they fall silent, the more lives will be saved. It is our responsibility to try to bring that day forward.

Meanwhile we remain alert to any opportunity to reduce violence. That was the purpose of the freeze, it has not worked as conditions were not conductive. But it is still on the table for when and if the parties and region feel ready, in Aleppo or anywhere else.

We therefore begin a series of separate one-to-one structured discussions with as many actors involved in the Syrian conflict as possible in order to get a sense of whether another round of negotiations is feasible down the line and what a future, peaceful Syria may look like.

The invites have been sent to a wide range of Syrian, as well as regional and international actors. They also include broad representation by civil society, as this process has to speak to the voices of the Syrian people.

The Geneva Consultations are not a one-off meeting; and they are not a conference. This is not Geneva III. There is no beginning, no middle and end here. No big round table with multilateral representation. No big communique expected at the end. And these are not peace talks. These are closed, low-key, separate, structured discussions with the parties, to consult on the current crisis in Syria, the road ahead and the final destination of a Syria at peace with itself. This is the necessary ground work before we even get to a negotiating table.

As it has been mentioned earlier, the first meetings are starting already as of today and for an initial period of five to six weeks. But there is no cut-off date. This is a rolling process which will be expanded, as necessary, with additional players and actors to be consulted as we move along. By the end of June we will assess progress on this stock-taking of views and decide on the next steps. It is possible that these consultations may continue beyond that date in this or other format. You should not expect, therefore, any major public announcements during or even at the conclusion of this process.

This is a very intense and serious effort however and I hope you appreciate the nature of these discussions, which by the definition of being low-key have to be away from the public eye. That said, we – through Ahmad and my own office – will ensure that you are briefed as regularly as the process allows.

There have been some questions and I’m sure one of them will be – and I would like to tell you in advance – because I am sure, who is invited, how many are invited. I know that it is a fair question to ask. At this stage over 40 Syrian groups, obviously in addition to the Government of Syria, entities, individuals, and about 20 regional and international actors, including the neighbouring countries and of course members of the P5 of the Security Council. This process will be expanded to others as we move along. We want to get as broad a spectrum of views as possible. We want to hear their point of view. We want to see what they think could be the end of this conflict. This includes political and military actors, women - Syrian women, who have a lot to say and have been trying hard to have their voice heard - victims, civil society, diaspora, religious and community leaders and so on.

In short, ladies and gentlemen of the press, we have no luxury not to try.

Thank you, I am open to questions.