U.N. Takes Initiative on Syria Reform Process

The U.N. said on Tuesday it is willing to provide guidance for constitutional reforms and a timeline for elections in an attempt to revive failed peace talks between Syria’s warring parties, Reuters reported.

The eighth round of negotiations between the opposition and the government in Geneva closed last week without yielding any results. U.N. special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura called it a “missed opportunity.”

On Tuesday, de Mistura said that the U.N. could make recommendations on a timeline for new elections. It could also guide constitutional reform and help set up a national dialogue body and a constitutional commission, with the Syrian people writing and approving a new constitution, he said.

“The time has come for the U.N. to provide some specific elaborations … and therefore stimulate a wider conversation,” he said. “The U.N. has provided electoral assistance to a majority of U.N. member states … so we do have experience.

“These propositions are advanced in good faith by the U.N. in order to promote fresh thinking in all quarters,” he said.

De Mistura said that these recommendations would need to receive the backing of Syria’s warring parties. He added that he plans to set out his ideas during the ninth round of peace talks, scheduled for early 2018.

Coalition: ISIS Still Putting Up Fierce Resistance in Eastern Syria

A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition on Tuesday played down claims of victory over the so-called Islamic State in Syria, saying that the group is still putting up fierce resistance against U.S.-backed forces.

Russian president Vladimir Putin claimed victory over the extremist group during a visit to Syria this month. U.S. president Donald Trump also claimed Washington has “won” against ISIS in Syria during a ceremony in the White House last week.

However, Col. Ryan Dillon told Pentagon reporters on Tuesday that the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) are still battling militants in eastern Syria, according to a statement released by the U.S. Department of Defense.

“Despite recent claims from Russia that Syria is free from ISIS terror, the SDF are still meeting resistance from ISIS fighters in the region,” he said.

“ISIS is putting up a stiff defense in remaining territories in the [Middle Euphrates river valley], likely as a delaying action to allow other elements to displace to southwest and northwest Syria to seek sanctuary or continue to fight.”

The U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims that around 3 percent of Syrian territory is still under ISIS control.

U.N. Vote Extends Cross-Border Aid Deliveries in Syria

The U.N. Security Council renewed a resolution authorizing cross-border aid delivery to rebel-held parts of Syria by another year on Tuesday, the Voice of America (VOA) reported.

Cross-border deliveries, which the U.N. authorized in 2014, were believed to be threatened after Russia said last month it was seeking changes to this method of providing assistance.

However, Tuesday’s extension was adopted without any veto, according to VOA. Thirteen member states voted in favor of it, with Russia, China and Bolivia abstaining.

However, Russia still expressed some concerns. Russian envoy Vladimir Safronkov said the Security Council originally mandated cross-border aid as a temporary measure. “Today the situation in the country has changed radically,” he explained.

“The mechanism for cross-border deliveries remains a legacy of the past,” he told council members. “We think it is important to gradually roll down this rudimentary scheme, which has worked for Syria’s division.”

Recommended Reads

• The Century Foundation: Syrian Humanitarian ‘Lifeline’ Goes to Vote
• Agence France-Presse: The Year the ‘Caliphate’ Collapsed
• The New Yorker: Written in Blood and Rust From a Syrian Prison: ‘Don’t Forget Us’
• The New York Times: Holocaust Museum Tries Again on Contentious Syria Study
• The National: De Mistura: Noble Diplomat, Who Carries Weight of Syria’s Crisis