The Syrian government has confirmed its participation in the latest talks aimed at a political solution to the conflict. A UN official said he spoke with Damascus about the need for a UN-backed transition.
Image: picture alliance/dpa/V. Sharifulin
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Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy, UN deputy special envoy for Syria, on Sunday announced that an invitation to new UN-brokered peace talks had been extended to the Syrian government following talks with the country's foreign minister.
"I informed the minister and his deputy of the intention of the special envoy (Staffan) de Mistura to reconvene the inter-Syrian talks towards the end of August," Ramzy said.
"I explained to the minister how we intend to proceed, and we discussed how to render this process of political transition, which has already been endorsed by the (UN) Security Council to be a credible one, and we exchanged views on that," he added.
The UN diplomat said the Syrian government will "participate in these talks once they are held."
The announcement comes days after de Mistura, the UN's chief mediator for the peace talks, said he aimed to convene a new round towards the end of August.
De Mistura called on the US and Russia to back the UN's latest steps after both countries successfully brokered a nationwide ceasefire earlier this year.
Previous rounds of peace talks failed with the last one in April ending abruptly after the Saudi-backed mainstream coalition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) withdrew its participation, citing a worsening humanitarian disaster on the ground.
'Ready to resume'
Meanwhile, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallam said Damascus was "ready to resume the talks with no preconditions in an inter-Syrian context with no foreign interference," according to Syria's state-owned SANA news agency.
The UN has pushed for a political solution to the five-year conflict. However, Damascus has refused to discuss President Bashar al-Assad's departure, while the HNC has said it will not agree to a deal in which the president remains in power.
More than 280,000 people have been killed and half the population displaced since 2011, when government forces launched a violent crackdown on peaceful protesters calling for Assad to step down.
As Syria war drags, MSF warns of Aleppo crisis
As the war in Syria drags on, the humanitarian situation in Aleppo has grown steadily worse. The international aid organization Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has warned of a major crisis.
Image: picture-alliance/abaca/B. el Halebi
A city on the brink
About 250,000 people are trapped in the rebel-held eastern part of Aleppo as food and vital supplies dwindle, MSF reported on Thursday. Hospitals are straining to treat the number of patients, and the only road leading to areas not controlled by the government has been cut off.
Image: picture-alliance/abaca/M. Sultan
Civilian casualties continue to mount
Even as besieged Syrians struggle amid food and supply shortages, attacks launched on civilians by forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad continue. Hospitals have been repeatedly bombed, and government-led airstrikes have led to dozens of deaths over the past several months.
Image: Getty Images/B.Al-Halabi
Food and supplies are running low
MSF has been providing trapped civilians with food and supplies since 2014. The NGO's last shipment to Aleppo took place in April, when trucks were permitted to deliver 330 cubic meters (11,650 cubic feet) of equipment and provisions.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/O.-H. Kadour
Russian proposal rejected
Earlier this week, the Syrian and Russian governments proposed to open humanitarian corridors leading from the besieged parts of Aleppo to government-controlled areas seen in the background here. Their plan came shortly after forces overtook key rebel supply routes leading into the rebel areas.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/K. Al-Masri
Fears of a regime takeover
The regime-sanctioned plan was largely dismissed by the international community, with UN envoy Staffan de Mistura saying he wasn't even informed about it. Trapped activists and civilians, meanwhile, say it's an attempt to restore government control to the rest of Aleppo.
Image: Getty Images/T.Mohammed
Renewed calls for ceasefire
De Mistura called on Russia to hand administration of the humanitarian corridors over to the United Nations, as German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier urged Moscow to establish a ceasefire.
Image: picture-alliance/AA
A clear message
"We once again demand the warring parties respect the rules of war," Pablo Marco, MSF's Middle East operations manager, said in the report. "The message is clear: stop bombing hospitals and civilian infrastructures, allow the severely sick and wounded to be evacuated, and do not cut the supply of food, drugs and vital goods into the city."
