After 14 years of brutal war and the fall of the dictatorial regime, today the people of Syria can seize an historic opportunity to build a stable and peaceful future, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Sunday.
As reports continued to emerge from the Syrian capital, Damascus, where opposition forces declared victory overnight on State television, the UN chief said in a statement: The future of Syria is a matter for the Syrians to determine.
There is much work to be done to ensure an orderly political transition to renewed institutions, Mr. Guterres, and noted that his Special Envoy, Geir Pedersen, will be working with all Syrians to this end.
Mr. Pedersen, who has been attending a high-level meeting of Arab States in Doha this weekend, has called for “urgent political talks” in Geneva to secure a peaceful future for Syria.
There was widespread backing for his appeal, he said on Saturday, from Iran, Russia and Türkiye along with the United States, France, Great Britain, Germany and the European Union.
