WASHINGTON, 13 December 2021, (TON): UN special envoy Geir Pedersen calls for a “step for step” approach in finding a political solution to Syria’s conflict, following his tour of Europe, the US, and Arab states.

Several rounds of United Nations-brokered negotiations in Geneva since 2019 between the government and opposition aimed at forging a new constitution have so far failed.

He says, after talks in Damascus with Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad “I think there is a possibility now to start to explore what I call ‘a step for step’ approach, where you put on the table steps that is defined with precisions, that is verifiable, that hopefully can start to build some trust.”

He tells journalists “my message is that there is another possibility to start to explore possible avenues, to start to move forward on this process.”

Pedersen has toured all the main foreign players with a stake in Syria’s conflict. With major fighting having subsided since 2020, Damascus has made inroads into easing its international isolation, especially with fellow Arab states.

UN envoy said “I think we should now analyze not only the Arabs but also the American position, the Europeans, the Turkish, the Russians, the Iranians.”