The global threats caused by Syria's civil war have become "too dangerous" to go unresolved, the new UN chief said Wednesday (January 18th), underlining the need for progress at peace talks, AFP reported.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who took office on January 1st, noted that the conflict had triggered instability in the Middle East and terrorist attacks across the world.
"The consequences of this conflict have become too dangerous for everyone," Guterres said.
Peace talks among rival sides scheduled to open Monday in Kazakhstan's capital Astana were brokered by Russia and Turkey, not the UN. But Guterres voiced hope the negotiations "can lead towards a consolidation of the ceasefire and a freeze in the conflict".
Success in Astana "can help create the conditions for a political process that should resume in Geneva in February that can lead to concrete results", he added.
The Geneva peace process is being led by UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura, who has said he wants to restart talks on February 8th.
