The UN Syria envoy held talks with Syria’s Foreign Minister on Tuesday aimed at securing a cessation of hostilities and “unhindered” delivery of humanitarian aid to areas besieged by all parties, a UN spokesman said.
Italian-Swedish diplomat Staffan de Mistura was due to meet Syrian diplomat Walid al-Moualem a second time later in the day in Damascus to discuss resuming peace talks scheduled for 25 February, after a first round was suspended last week, UN spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said.
We are witnessing a degradation on the ground that cannot wait. The reason he suspended them was, as you know, that cities were still being bombed, people were still being starved on the ground.Ahmad Fawzi, UN Spokesman
World powers agreed in Munich on Friday to a cessation of hostilities in Syria to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered, but the deal does not take effect until the end of this week and was not signed by any warring parties.
On Monday, Turkey accused Russia of an “obvious war crime” after missile attacks in northern Syria killed nearly 50 people, and warned Kurdish militia fighters there they would face the “harshest reaction” if they tried to capture a town near the Turkish border.
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