UN Syria envoy to meet Security Council next week

U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura speaks during a news conference with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov following their talks in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015. De Mistura called on Middle Eastern and Western nations to “use their influence” on various opposition groups they back in Syria “so that these groups come to political talks with a constructive platform.” AP Photo

UNITED NATIONS, United States—The UN envoy for Syria will go before the Security Council next week to report on the way forward after holding talks in Damascus, Moscow and Washington, diplomats said Thursday.

Staffan de Mistura is making the rounds ahead of another meeting in Vienna of key players with influence in Syria, including the United States, Iran, Saudi Arabia and Russia.

De Mistura will brief the 15-member council on Tuesday.

The UN envoy said in Moscow this week that the United Nations was ready to bring together the Syrian government and opposition for talks in Geneva.

All players however need to agree on the list of opposition members and government representatives who will be allowed to take part.

At the first meeting in Vienna last week, the participants agreed to ask the UN to broker a deal to pave the way for a new constitution and elections.

The Vienna talks mark the most significant international effort to date to end the four-year war. It has left 250,000 people dead and triggered Europe’s worst refugee crisis since World War II.

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