The UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura arrived on Monday in Damascus for discussions with President Bashar Assad’s government in a new effort to seek a political solution to the country’s ongoing war, AFP reported.
A member of de Mistura’s team confirmed his arrival to the Syrian capital, withholding further details of the visit, according to AFP.
De Mistura will remain in Damascus for three days to “inform Syrian officials of the consultations” he has carried out in Geneva with various parties to the four-year conflict, reported Syrian newspaper Al-Watan.
The UN Syria envoy so far has met with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem, who told the state-run SANA news agency he “supported efforts made by de Mistura for a political solution” to the conflict.
De Mistura’s spokesman said on Sunday that the envoy “plans to discuss the current humanitarian situation in Syria and ways to increase access to besieged and conflict-affected communities,” reported AFP.
He is also likely to raise discussion of the Syrian government’s use of barrel bombs – lethal explosives filled with shrapnel – on rebel-controlled areas. Rights groups criticize the weapons, saying they often kill innocent civilians, including children.
