Reduced violence in Syria raises hope of end to war: UN body
The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria on Tuesday welcomed the recent reduction in violence in the country, saying the current situation raises hope of an end to the five-year turmoil there.
"Now, for the first time, there is hope of an end in sight," Paulo Sergio Pinheiro told reporters in Geneva, Switzerland.
Speaking to the UN Human Rights Council earlier in the day, Pinheiro hailed the partial ceasefire that has largely held since February 27. The truce does not apply to the Takfiri Daesh and al-Nusra Front terrorists.
The official said the cessation of hostilities had finally allowed many Syrian citizens to experience "a return to normalcy in their daily lives."
"There are, at last, glimpses of a Syria at peace," Pinheiro stated, emphasizing that the ceasefire had paved the way for the new round of Syria peace talks.
The UN-brokered indirect negotiations between the Damascus government and the foreign-backed opposition resumed in Geneva on March 14.
UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura announced a halt to the first round of the discussions on February 3 after the opposition refused to continue the talks.
In another development on Tuesday, the Saudi-backed opposition coalition, called the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), said the group supports direct dialog with the Damascus government.
"We are not against direct talks, but you know de Mistura decided to start with indirect talks," said HNC spokesman Salim al-Muslat, adding that he expected the envoy to switch to a format of direct talks at a later stage.
The UN official has said the "proximity" format of the negotiations, meant to culminate in a roadmap for the path ahead in Syria, gives him the opportunity to shuttle between the two warring sides and to consult others on the sidelines.
The foreign-sponsored crisis in Syria flared in March 2011. The conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people and displaced almost half of Syria’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders, according to a February report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research.
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