Today the war in Syria has reached a new level of violence: more than 400 people, including women and children, have been reportedly kidnapped or killed by the terrorist organisation Da’esh. If confirmed, such terrible acts make clear once again that it is time the civil war, now in its fifth year, was brought to an end, and that all inside and outside Syria join forces to eliminate the threat from Da’esh.
It is urgent for all Syrian parties to come together under the auspices of the UN, and with the support of the entire international community, to negotiate a political transition. The EU reaffirms its full and active support to the work of UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura to launch negotiations in Geneva between all Syrian parties in the coming days.
Yesterday’s Implementation Day of the agreement on the Iranian nuclear programme demonstrates that diplomacy and multilateralism deliver effective result for peace and security. It shows that cooperation can prevail over confrontation. It provides an opportunity to intensify regional cooperation to resolve the continuing crisis in Syria and deal with common threat of terrorism that we all face.
