A US State Department official: International Resolution 2254 is the only path to end the conflict in Syria

A US State Department official said on Wednesday that the United States will not participate with Iran, Russia and Turkey in the Astana track on Syria.

The official, who preferred not to be named, said, “The only path to ending the conflict in Syria is through the political process facilitated by the United Nations in Geneva under Resolution 2254.”

The official added, “The United States is actively engaged with our partners and allies to support the efforts of the United Nations special envoy to Syria, Geir Pederson, in a strong way to advance the political process in Geneva.”

He stressed that “Resolution 2254 is the key to achieving lasting peace for the Syrian people.”

Last week, the UN envoy to Syria Pedersen urged the members of the UN Security Council to unify the stance to break the deadlock controlling the Syrian file, during a session in which he acknowledged “the failure of the political track.”

And he considered that “there is a need to adopt constructive international diplomacy on Syria.”

Without this, the chances of real progress on the constitutional track remain low.
The work of the “Astana 15” talks on Syria, held in Sochi, Russia, in the presence of all participating delegations, was concluded earlier today, Wednesday, two days after its launch.

In the final statement of the “Astana 15” meetings, the guarantor countries stressed the need to continue all agreements related to the lull in the Idlib region.

The guarantor states affirmed their rejection of any attempt to create new facts on the ground in Syria under the guise of “combating terrorism”, including “self-rule” initiatives that the statement considered “illegal.”