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UN says Syria special envoy Ger Pedersen will step down
Summary
Ger Pedersen has informed the Security Council he will resign as the United Nations special envoy for Syria after six and a half years; the secretary-general has accepted the request and no final departure date was given, UN spokespersons said at a press briefing.
Ger Pedersen, the United Nations special envoy for Syria, has informed the Security Council that he will step down, the United Nations said at a press briefing in New York on Thursday.
The secretary-general has accepted Pedersen’s request to resign, a UN spokesperson said, and Pedersen has emphasized that he is “deeply indebted to and profoundly grateful to the Syrian people.” No final date for his departure has been announced. Pedersen has served as special envoy for six and a half years, the spokesperson said.
Pedersen had briefed the Security Council earlier in the day on developments in Syria. The briefing described an attempted transition by interim Syrian authorities and the Syrian people that faces “numerous challenges,” and warned that mishandling the situation could have serious consequences. According to the briefing, Pedersen urged the international community to support Syria and to oppose foreign intervention.
UN officials said options for the UN’s mission in Syria are under consideration. “There are different options being looked at,” the spokesperson said, adding that the mission will have to change because conditions on the ground have changed. The briefing did not specify which options are under consideration or give a timeline for any change.
The spokesperson said Pedersen remains committed to working through his last day but gave no date for a handover. The secretary-general, the spokesperson said, holds Pedersen in “high regard” and accepted his request to step down for personal reasons.
No formal Security Council decision about the envoy position was announced at the briefing; the spokesperson said she would defer to Pedersen and to the Security Council for further details about timing and succession.
