Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoUN / SYRIA DE MISTURA
Download
There is no media available to download.
Share
STORY: UN / SYRIA DE MISTURA
TRT: 03:00
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 08 MARCH 2017, NEW YORK CITY
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, UNHQ exterior
08 MARCH 2017, NEW YORK CITY
2. Pan left, de Mistura approaching stakeout
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Staffan de Mistura, Special Envoy for Syria, United Nations:
“We did not expect miracles and frankly we didn’t have miracles, but we achieved much more than many people had imagined we could have. No one left. Everybody stayed. They went focused. We got an agenda. We got a timeline. We got some agreement even on substance.”
4. Wide shot, de Mistura
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Staffan de Mistura, Special Envoy for Syria, United Nations:
“That picture was in the Security Council during the whole period of the meeting of the Security Council. Why? Because it is much more than what it looks like. It is the first time that there was involvement by everyone showing that they are serious in trying to actually achieve a dialogue among them. They would have never been seated together.”
6. Wide shot, de Mistura
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Staffan de Mistura, Special Envoy for Syria, United Nations:
“I appealed to the participants, through the Council, of the forthcoming Astana meeting to address the challenges of the ceasefire. Without a strong ceasefire, the talks will be fragile. People in Syria have the patience to see this discussion going on for a long time, like every discussion after a war of six years almost, but they need at least to do it while there are no heavy bombings taking place.”
8. Wide shot, de Mistura
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Staffan de Mistura, Special Envoy for Syria, United Nations:
“I have appealed to all Syrians and outsiders to abandon the fantasies that still are there of a military victory. One side or the other, they still sometimes believe that is possible. It is pure fantasy and I can guarantee to you that I know why.”
10. Wide shot, de Mistura
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Staffan de Mistura, Special Envoy for Syria, United Nations:
“First of all there was one area where they really were having a common position. They all wanted us – and we were very pleased to hear it – to not start from zero again. Because what are the problems of any negotiation is that sometimes the tendency is to go backwards and revisit everything. All sides said ‘No, we want to build on one, two, and three Geneva, and actually build on that.’ That is why I have been insisting to build from the forth to the fifth.”
12. Wide shot, de Mistura
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Staffan de Mistura, Special Envoy for Syria, United Nations:
“Some of the commonalities are crucially important because Syrians are a proud people and they love their country. National sovereignty, integrity, unity, certain major rules about what could be the end state; how to get there, there are disagreements, but what could be the end state there is a lot of common ground.”
14. Pan right, de Mistura leaving stakeout
UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura announced today (08 Mar) his intention to hold the next round of intra-Syrian talks in Geneva on March 23rd appealing to “all Syrians and outsiders to abandon the fantasies that still are there of a military victory” in the conflict that has plagued the country for almost six years.
De Mistura was speaking to reporters in New York after briefing the Security Council on the latest round of Geneva talks which ended last week. The Special Envoy said there were no “miracles” at those talks but stressed that “much more” was achieved than “many people had imagined.” De Mistura said the next round of negotiations would still be held through proximity adding that direct talks would be held at the right moment.
De Mistura urged participants in the upcoming Astana meeting to address the challenges of the ceasefire adding that “without a strong ceasefire, the talks will be fragile.” He said Syrians had “the patience to see this discussion going on for a long time” as long as there were no heavy bombings.
The Special Envoy praised the common position among participants in the latest round “not start from zero again” adding his insistence of building on this round as well. He said some of the commonalities among the participants were “crucially important because Syrians are a proud people and they love their country.” He said there was “a lot of common ground” among the parties on the State they wanted but the disagreements were in “how to get there.”
