Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoUnifeed
GENEVA / DE MISTURA HNC WRAP
STORY: GENEVA / DE MISTURA HNC WRAP
TRT: 03:09
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 18 MARCH 2016 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Wide shot, HNC delegation in meeting
2. Med shot, HNC delegation
3. Wide shot, team of UN Special Envoy in meeting
4. Med shot, HNC delegation
5. Pan right, meeting room
6. Wide shot, HNC delegation at Press Stakeout
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Bassma Kodmani, Member of the High Negotiations Committee :
”Everything is very clear in indicating that this is about a political transition. The fact that the Government delegation would like to set different rules or play with the terms of this agreement is I think a non-starter. I don’t think there is a ground for moving around those terms. It is for Mr. de Mistura, and that is what we expect from the mediation mission is to remind the regime that these are the terms and that – as we are playing under the terms of this resolution and the Geneva agreements, the Vienna statements and the resolution 2254 we expect that the Government delegation on the regime said will be also playing under those rules”.
8. Wide shot, journalists
9. Wide shot, Staffan de Mistura at Press Stakeout
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Staffan de Mistura, UN Special Envoy for Syria:
”The proximity system, in other words the proximity talks, has clearly contributed to keep the talks going: no walks out, no excessive rhetoric, some discussions, public and not, but no excessive rhetoric, no break downs, despite of the fact that I am still obviously detecting large distances. But that is part of why you have talks or consultations or negotiations”.
11. Medium shot, journalists
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Staffan de Mistura, UN Special Envoy for Syria:
”I have already received a pretty good deep paper on the vision from the HNC on transition. The Government is currently focusing very much on principles which are necessary in any type of common ground on the transition. But I hope next week, and I have been saying so to them, that we will get their opinion, their details on how they see the political transition taking place”.
13. Med shot, journalists
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Staffan de Mistura, UN Special Envoy for Syria:
“Next week will be important because we will be aiming at building a minimum common platform of not only principles, but points that could lead to a better understanding in what direction we will be going for the political transition which in my opinion will be the main focus of the next meeting which will be in April, and we are already aiming very clearly for that”.
15. Wide shot, journalists
The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, wrapped up the first week of resumed talks on reaching a lasting peace in Syria by saying that the Geneva meetings have "coincided to a large degree to a substantial reduction of violence in Syria”.
On the fifth day of Syria peace talks at the UN in Geneva, the main Syrian Opposition Delegation, the High Negotiations Committee (HNC) indicated the three key issues for them in this round of intra-Syrian talks: the release of detainees held by the government, the expansion of humanitarian aid to the Syrian people and decisions on how Syria’s future government is to be formed.
HNC member Bassma Kodmani told reporters that ”everything is very clear in indicating that this is about a political transition. The fact that the Government delegation would like to set different rules or play with the terms of this agreement is I think a non-starter. I don’t think there is a ground for moving around those terms. It is for Mr. de Mistura, and that is what we expect from the mediation mission, is to remind the regime that these are the terms and that – as we are playing under the terms of this resolution and the Geneva agreements, the Vienna statements and the resolution 2254, we expect that the Government delegation will be also playing under those rules”.
The UN Special Envoy said "The proximity system, in other words the proximity talks, has clearly contributed to keep the talks going: no walks out, no excessive rhetoric, some discussions, public and not, but no excessive rhetoric, no break downs, despite of the fact that I am still obviously detecting large distances. But that is part of why you have talks or consultations or negotiations.”
However, the UN mediator said that Syria's Government must do more to present its ideas about a political transition and not merely talk about principles of the peace process.
He said ”I have already received a pretty good deep paper on the vision from the HNC on transition. The Government is currently focusing very much on principles which are necessary in any type of common ground on the transition. But I hope next week, and I have been saying so to them, that we will get their opinion, their details on how they see the political transition taking place.”
The Special Envoy said he had given both sides “homework” to do over the weekend so that the negotiations could go faster on Monday and that, “next week will be important because we will be aiming at building a minimum common platform of not only principles, but points that could lead to a better understanding in what direction we will be going for the political transition which in my opinion will be the main focus of the next meeting which will be in April, and we are already aiming very clearly for that”.
The Intra-Syrian Talks meetings are expected to resume on Monday.
Download
There is no media available to download.
