De Mistura, who was speaking at the end of a meeting aimed at improving access to 4 million people living in besieged and hard-to-reach areas in Syria, said the U.S. and Russian Federation as the co-chairs of the International Syria Support Group, are closely watching the developments on the ground so that the implementation of the ceasefire in Syria can be ensured at its best.
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“The level of violence in the country is being greatly reduced”. The talks were called off last month after a spike in fighting.
“The importance of continued uncompromising fight against Islamic State, the Nusra Front and other terrorist groups” was stressed during the conversation, it said.
Syria’s president, Bashar Assad, has also denied targeting civilians, saying he is waging a war against terrorism, but he has said that it is a “rule of thumb” in war that innocent civilians die.
He had been hoping to get started on March 7, but acknowledged that logistical problems, such as finding hotel rooms for participants as the Swiss city hosts one of the world’s biggest auto shows, had forced him to push the talks back. Some envoys could show up as late as March 14, he said.
In Paris, meanwhile, France’s president said discussions about a political transition in Syria will “accelerate” with the truce holding across the war-wracked country.
‘The situation therefore could be summarised as fragile, success is not guaranteed but progress has been visible, ask the Syrians, ‘ de Mistura told reporters in Geneva.
The UN also needs Damasus’ go-ahead to deliver medical supplies, he added.
Egeland said United Nations officials had received “indications” that there will be “a much simplified system” for gaining approvals to ship in aid, including a monthly schedule.
Paris: Top diplomats in France, Germany and Britain on Friday warned that Syrian peace talks would fail unless humanitarian aid was granted and a ceasefire respected.
A spokeswoman for British Prime Minister David Cameron said the European leaders told Putin the truce must be used to try to secure peace without Assad, but their main point on the phone call was to welcome the fact the truce appeared to be holding.
Hundreds of Syrians protested in the eastern sector of the city of Aleppo, in the western Waer neighborhood of Homs and in Idlib province, calling on Assad’s government to release detainees and lift several sieges – key demands of the opposition, ahead of peace talks planned to resume in Geneva next week.
The monitoring group Physicians for Human Rights has documented 346 attacks against medical facilities in the course of the five-year conflict, killing 705 medical staff.
Later, state-run news agency SANA said Internet services were also partially halted on Thursday as a result of damage to one of the network hubs.
Earlier in the day, Amnesty International reported that Russian and Syrian government forces have been targeting hospitals as a strategy of war during the Syria conflict.
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In a statement on Thursday, the main anti-Assad rebel group, the High Negotiations Committee (HNC), spoke about “a continuation of deadly operations and war crimes which the regime and its allies have not ceased to commit”.
