UN special envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen resigned on Thursday, after nearly seven years of seeking a political settlement to the country’s grinding conflict as the world body’s diplomat.
Mr Pedersen told the Security Council in New York that he had submitted his resignation to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, who “graciously accepted” the request.
The Norwegian diplomat was appointed in 2018 with the task of enacting UN Resolution 2254, which called for a political transition after years of civil war between the government of Bashar Al Assad, president at the time, and armed opposition groups.
Efforts to broker a deal repeatedly stalled, with peace talks in Geneva yielding little progress.
The Assad regime was ousted in a rebel offensive in December and a new government was formed.
Mr Pedersen’s departure leaves the UN without a permanent envoy at a critical moment, and underscores its limited leverage over one of the world’s most protracted and complex conflicts.
Syria has continued to grapple with deep political, ethnic and religious divides after the toppling of Al Assad.
In announcing his resignation, Mr Pedersen called for an end to foreign intervention in Syria and said political stability is critical to help rebuild the war-torn country.
“Foreign Minister [Asaad] Al Shibani underlined to me when I met him recently in Damascus how vital international support is for Syria, as well as strongly calling for an end to foreign intervention. And I strongly echo this call,” Mr Pedersen told the Security Council.
He said Syria’s interim authorities were grappling with “the ruins of shattered buildings” as well as the deeper wreckage of “a battered social fabric, decayed institutions and a hollowed-out economy”.
“Today, Syria and the Syrian people have a new dawn, and we must ensure that this becomes a bright day,” Mr Pedersen said in a statement released after his appearance before the council.
He called for large-scale international humanitarian assistance and the revival of Syria’s private sector, saying the economy could not recover without support from the region and wider international community, including sanctions relief.
But China's UN envoy Fu Cong stressed that as long as extremists remain in the country, Syria will have difficulty returning to the path of development.
“Syria should effectively fulfil its counter-terrorism obligations by taking all necessary measures to combat all council-listed terrorist organisations and earn the trust of international community through tangible actions,” he said.
