By Cecilia Ologunagba
The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, has called for increased humanitarian aid in Syria amid “immense” changes that offer hope to a nation emerging from a 13-year-long war.
Pedersen arrived in Damascus over the weekend and held meetings on Sunday with key figures in the region. Among those he met was Ahmed al-Sharaa, the leader of the new administration, who previously went by the nom de guerre Mohammad Al-Jolani.
Additionally, Pedersen met with Mohammed al-Bashir, the prime minister of the caretaker government. These discussions highlight ongoing political developments in the area.
The Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, arrived there a week after President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown by rebel forces led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTC).
Pedersen noted the “immense” change since the fall of the Assad regime.
“This change in itself creates great hopes, but we all know that many challenges still lie ahead. So we have to get it right from the beginning,” he said in a statement.
He considered it necessary to launch a political process that includes all Syrians and which “must obviously be led by the Syrians themselves.”
The second challenge is to ensure that state institutions are operational, he said, with service delivery, public order and security being “extremely important”.
On the humanitarian crisis, he said it was necessary to ensure that Syria receives “immediate increased humanitarian assistance” for the population and for all refugees who want to return.
“This is extremely important,” he stressed.
As for the issue of economic recovery, he said “we need to make sure that this is resolved quickly.”
“We hope to see a quick end to sanctions, so that we can really see a rallying around the reconstruction of Syria.”
He also considered it necessary that justice be done. He said the perpetrators of crimes across the country must be held accountable.
“We must ensure that this happens through a credible justice system, and that we will not see any revenge,” Pedersen said. (NAN)
