UN Envoy Urges US and Russia to Discuss Syria Peace

Says nations should make most of relative calm

UN Syrian Envoy Geir Pederson called on the US and Russia to make the most of the calm that is ongoing in Syria, urging them to work on a political path to end the war, saying a Russian-American dialogue would be a key part of this.

This has long been something the UN has called for, but the US has demands on post-war Syria which are unacceptable both to the Syrian government and to Russia. This has meant previous attempts to foster talks stalled immediately, with the US unwilling to considering any alternative to full regime-change.

US officials have continued to say that in holding out, Russia will eventually have to give the US what it wants, and some have claimed recently that Russia is getting weary of the war and would capitulate soon. Russia has not suggested that is the case at all.

Even here, Pederson is only calling it “some calm,” since there is still a lot of hostility in Syria. Fighting is on the decline, however, with few rebel groups left in Syria, and little challenge to US-held oilfields.


Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.