US To Support De Mistura's Work Until Resignation, Thanks Envoy For Service - State Dept.

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th October, 2018) The United States will continue to support the efforts of United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura until he leaves his post at the end of November, US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement on Thursday.

"The United States will continue to support the Special Envoy's work until he steps down at the end of November. We sincerely thank him for his service to the community of nations and for his tireless work on behalf of the Syrian people and countless others during his UN career. We wish him well in his future endeavors," Nauert said.

De Mistura announced on Wednesday he will quit his post in the last week of November for personal reasons. The diplomat has been working as the UN special envoy for Syria since 2014.

"Now, as Special Envoy De Mistura enters the final weeks of his tenure, he and UN Secretary-General [Antonio] Guterres have pledged that he will use all his influence and energy to finally convene the Syrian constitutional committee - an important step forward in the political process and a symbol that a solution is possible," Nauert said.

The State Department spokesperson said De Mistura's leadership in trying to resolve the Syrian crisis has been essential in building international consensus for a political solution.

"Special Envoy De Mistura has also eloquently stated that there is no military solution in Syria, and that the only way forward is a political process under the auspices of UN Security Council Resolution 2254," she said. "He has offered a vision of a Syria that is free from violence and oppression and a Syrian government that represents the will of the Syrian people."

Before stepping down, the current UN special envoy for Syria is expected to visit Damascus on October 26 to discuss the Syrian Constitutional Committee.

The decision to set up the Syrian constitutional committee was agreed upon in January, during the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in the Russian resort city of Sochi. Currently, UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura is working on creating a special committee in Geneva that will be tasked with drafting reforms to Syria's constitution.