Marking fresh efforts to revive peace talks, the UN's chief Syria mediator has called for more than "military victory." Staffan de Mistura also said he'll meet with US President-elect Donald Trump's transition team.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/H. Ammar
Advertisement
UN envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura on Thursday said upcoming talks between Russia and the US in Geneva concerning the withdrawal of opposition fighters in Aleppo are an encouraging development towards a political solution to the conflict.
"Perhaps now is the time to actually look seriously at the possible renewal of looking at when how we can have political discussions, because there is an awareness that military victory is not peace, because peace has to be won separately," de Misura said.
"Otherwise, we will leave with the impression, which no one wants to have, that there is only a military victory or military solution," the UN official added.
The envoy's comments follow a closed-door Security Council meeting to discuss Russia's announcement that Syrian forces have stopped combat operations in rebel-held Aleppo.
De Mistura has led peace brokering efforts since 2014, when former UN chief Kofi Annan and veteran diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi quit due to a deadlock on how to achieve a political solution in Syria.
More than 300,000 people have been killed and half the population displaced since 2011, when government forces launched a brutal crackdown on peaceful protesters calling for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down.
'Unrealistic'
The UN General Assembly is expected to vote down a ceasefire resolution on Friday due to Russian and Chinese vetoes on the Security Council. However, the Assembly resolution is non-binding.
The vote will "demonstrate that there is a moral majority here," adding that countries are "distressed that through a series of vetoes, the Security Council has failed to provide the unity necessary to change the situation in Syria," said British ambassador to the UN Matthew Rycroft.
However, Russia dismissed the resolution, saying it would not change the facts on that ground, which show a likely victory for Syrian government forces in retaking Aleppo.
"To expect that it's going to produce some kind of dramatic U-turn in the situation in Syria is unrealistic," said Russian ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin.
Meanwhile, De Mistura announced on Thursday that he would meet "people around the team" of US President-elect Donald Trump, who is expected to be sworn in as the US president in January.
De Mistura said he had "some ideas" about how Washington "would be able to help fight terrorism in a very effective way."
The long trip to Europe from the refugees' perspective
A boy who is soaking wet, volunteers entertaining children, moments of danger and of joy: #RefugeeCameras shows images taken during the journey to Europe. It is the subject of a new exhibition in Hamburg.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Leaving home - for good?
Zakaria received his camera on December 8 in Izmir, Turkey - one of the key hubs for refugees. The Syrian fled from the "Islamic State" terror militia and the government, according to McElvaney's #RefugeeCamera project. Out of safety concerns, Zakaria doesn't name his hometown. In his flight diary, Zakaria writes that only God knows if he will ever be able to return to Syria.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Rough dinghy ride
Zakaria documented his sea journey from Turkey to Chios. He was sitting in the back of his dinghy. At the Hamburg exhibition, which opens this weekend, the refugees' images will be complemented by a selection of shots taken by professionals, who helped to shape the representation of escape routes in the media. They all donated their works in order to support the project.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Perilous arrival
Hamza and Abdulmonem, both from Syria, photographed the perilous landing of their dinghy on a Greek island. There were no volunteers to offer them support. That is exactly what McElvaney had in mind when he launched #RefugeeCameras. So far, he says, the media have offered a "visual blank" in this respect.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Surviving the sea
After the landing, a young boy in wet clothes and life jacket stands on the pebbled beach. The image brings to mind Aylan Kurdi, the small Syrian boy whose lifeless body was washed ashore on a Turkish beach in September. The child in this picture made it to Europe alive. What became of him is not known.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Seven cameras returned
Hamza and Abdulmonem also took this slightly blurred snapshot of the refugee group taking a break. McElvaney handed out 15 disposable cameras in total. Seven of them were returned, one was lost, two were confiscated, two remain in Izmir, where their holders are still stranded. The remaining three cameras are unaccounted for - just like their owners.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Family in focus
Dyab, a math teacher from Syria, tried to capture some of the better moments of his journey to Germany. Pictured here are his wife and his young son, Kerim, who shows us the packet of biscuits he was given in a Macedonian refugee camp. The images reveal Dyab's deep affection for his son, McElvaney says: "He wants to take care of him, even on this arduous trip which he was forced to take."
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
From Iran to Hanau
The story of Saeed, from Iran, is a different one. The young man had to leave the country after converting to Christianity. He could have been arrested or even killed. In order to be accepted as a refugee, he pretended to be Afghan. After his arrival in Germany, he explained his situation to the authorities' satisfaction. He now lives - as an Iranian - in Hanau, Hesse.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
Beyond selfies
Saeed took this picture of a Syrian father and his child on a bus from Athens to Idomeni.
Image: Kevin McElvaney/ProjectRefugeeCameras
More than status
In another snapshot taken by Saeed, a volunteer working in a refugee camp somewhere between Croatia and Slovenia entertains a group of children, who try to imitate his tricks.
