Mistrust between the concerned parties in the Syrian war is hindering reaching a political solution to the more than decadelong conflict, the United Nations’ Special Envoy for Syria Geir O. Pedersen said.
“We are not making progress and that is the challenge. There is a deep mistrust between all the parties to the conflict – between the Syrian parties and between the international parties that we need to bring together if we are to solve this conflict,” Pedersen told Daily Sabah in an exclusive interview.
“We need progress in the negotiations between the government and the opposition and we need some kind of cooperation between Türkiye, Iran, Russia and the United States, supported by the Arabs and the Europeans. However, we do not really see that,” he pointed out.
“We have been trying to launch a political process for 12 years.”
Being asked whether the recent Arab normalization with the Assad regime would hinder the political progress by emboldening Assad, Pedersen dismissed the criticisms on the issue.
“There were talks about possible Turkish-Syrian rapprochement and there was then the Arab rapprochement with Damascus,” he reminded, saying that the security atmosphere in the war-torn country has also been deteriorating with Russia's role in Syria increasing, Israel attacking and the drug smuggling problem emerging.
“The reality is that after one year later it has not led to any breakthrough on the ground. So, it has not changed the realities, which of course is a pity because now we see a negative development when it comes to security, when it comes to the economy and we are not making any progress on the political front. And all these three things should change,” Pedersen underlined.
In May, the 22-member Arab League agreed to reinstate Syria, ending a 12-year suspension and taking another step toward bringing Assad, a longtime regional pariah, back into the fold.
The reconciliation between Damascus and oil-rich Arab countries is not likely to lead to a flow of money into the war-torn country because of Western sanctions, which, along with the war and widespread corruption have led to Syria’s severe economic crisis.
The United Nations estimates that 90% of Syrians in government-held areas live in poverty. More than half the population – some 12 million people – struggle to put food on the table.
On the other side, Ankara has taken some steps for possible normalization with Damascus.
Russia's long-standing effort to open a channel of dialogue between Türkiye and the Assad regime paid off in 2022, as the defense ministers and intelligence chiefs of Türkiye, Russia and the Assad regime met in Moscow on Dec. 28.
Any normalization between Ankara and Damascus would reshape the decadelong Syrian war. Turkish backing has been vital to sustaining moderate Syrian opposition in their last significant territorial foothold in the northwest after Assad defeated his opponents across the rest of the country, aided by Russia and Iran.
Yet, so far, Ankara and Damascus have not been able to overcome their divisions.
Meanwhile, the U.N. special envoy late February issued a formal invitation for a ninth round of peace talks in Geneva for late April.
