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STORY: UN / SYRIA DE MISTURA
TRT: 02:41
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 31 JANUARY 2017, NEW YORK CITY
RECENT - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, UNHQ exterior
31 JANUARY 2017, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, de Mistura and Swedish ambassador approaching stakeout
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Staffan de Mistura, Special Envoy for Syria, United Nations:
“There is a serious intention to actually establish a mechanism. That was missing in the other ceasefires. And three, three countries who do have assets on the ground, and you know what I mean by that, the Russian Federation, Turkey, and Iran, have become the guarantors. So they have a capacity, if they want and if they will, and they are showing the intention of doing so to actually ensure that the ceasefire is holding.”
4. Wide shot, De Mistura at stakeout
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Staffan de Mistura, Special Envoy for Syria, United Nations:
“First, we want to give a change to this Astana initiative to actually implement itself. If the ceasefire becomes as solid as we hope, that will only help the Syrian’s talks to actually be concrete. Secondly, we want to give a chance both to the government to come seriously engaged in concessions and in discussions, and we want the opposition, because things are changing radically and rapidly, to actually be able to be given a chance to come with one unified opposition.”
6. Wide shot, journalists
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Staffan de Mistura, Special Envoy for Syria, United Nations:
“If by the 8th of February the opposition will not be ready to come up with a unified group, I will have to – and I have been asking the Security Council for their own support and blessing – I will have to apply what I have not yet applied, which is a prerogative that 2254 gave to the Special Envoy, to actually select the delegation in order to make sure that it can be as inclusive as possible, including women which has not been the case, and as effectively representing the spectrum of both armed groups and political opposition.”
8. Wide shot, De Mistura at stakeout
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Staffan de Mistura, Special Envoy for Syria, United Nations:
“No, I think it’s fair to say that Russia is an extremely active, proactive, and important player in the current Syrian environment, and the very fact that they have been engaging militarily and politically is obvious. And they have been pushing for the Astana meeting, but they were not alone; Turkey and Iran were with them. And it didn’t take place in Moscow but in Astana exactly for the reason of wanting to maintain some type of independent look.”
10. Pan right, de Mistura leaving stakeout
UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura announced intra-Syrian talks set to take place in Geneva would be postponed to the 20th of February. He said the country’s opposition forces had till February 8th to come up with a “unified” team to represent them at the talks, otherwise he would be forced to “select the delegation” himself.
Speaking to the press today (31 Jan) after closed consultation with the Security Council, de Mistura said the power to select the opposition delegation was a “prerogative” included in Resolution 2254 which he had not yet applied. This was to ensure that the delegation was “as inclusive as possible, including women which has not been the case, and as effectively representing the spectrum of both armed groups and political opposition.”
De Mistura said the decision to delay the talks was taken to give the ceasefire initiative agreed in Astana a chance “to actually implement itself.” He added that this would also give a chance for the Government “to come seriously engaged in concessions and in discussions” and the opposition “to come with one unified opposition.”
The Special Envoy also said the Astana ceasefire had more chances of working that previous attempts since 13 armed groups were involved in the process and there was “a serious intention to actually establish a mechanism” to monitor the ceasefire and a technical meeting on establishing this mechanism was set to take place on February 6th in Astana. He added the three guarantors in this attempt, Russia, Iran and Turkey, had “assets on the ground” and therefore had a capacity “to actually ensure that the ceasefire is holding.”
Asked if the Syrian matter was now Russia’s hand, de Mistura said it was “fair to say that Russia is an extremely active, proactive, and important player in the current Syrian environment” but they were not alone in calling for the Astana meeting as it was joined by Turkey and Iran. He said the talks did not “take place in Moscow but in Astana exactly for the reason of wanting to maintain some type of independent look.” He stressed that the decision to delay the Geneva talks was taken by the United Nations and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov’s remarks on the issue were conveying its intention to do so after being briefed by the Special Envoy.
