UN Security Council Must Resume Talks On Syrian Political Process In Coming Days- UK Envoy

Umer Jamshaid Published September 11, 2018 | 11:35 PM

The UN Security Council should convene in the coming days to continue talks on advancing the political process in Syria and preventing an offensive in the Idlib province, UK Ambassador to the UN Karen Pierce said on Tuesday.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th September, 2018) The UN Security Council should convene in the coming days to continue talks on advancing the political process in Syria and preventing an offensive in the Idlib province, UK Ambassador to the UN Karen Pierce said on Tuesday.

"I hope, Madam President, that the Council can come together over the coming days to talk further about how we can maximize the political process, building on Astana's efforts, but also have a very serious discussion about how we can avert an all-out military attack on the people of Idlib," Pierce said.

She added that the United Kingdom supports any move that gets a political process underway in Syria and urged all Council members to back Ankara's plan.

On Friday, Russia, Turkey, and Iran held a trilateral summit in Tehran on the situation in Idlib. Erdogan put out a proposal to declare a ceasefire in the Syrian province.

Turkey's Ambassador to the UN Feridun Sinirlioglu said during the Security Council meeting that a military operation on Idlib would play into the hands of terrorists by alienating and radicalizing more Syrians.

Sinirlioglu underscored that in order for an Idlib truce to be successful, there must be guarantees that civilians and opposition groups will not be targeted as they leave the northwestern province.

While the Syrian authorities have managed to regain control over most of the country's territories following several years of fighting against terrorists and opposition groups, the Idlib de-escalation zone remains a stronghold of insurgency.

On August 25, a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry said that terrorists were planning to stage a false-flag chemical attack in Idlib in order to provoke western states' attacks against the Syrian government which they would consider responsible for the offensive.