U.N. briefing warns Syria cannot withstand further escalation; urges inclusive political transition

Natchat Rushdie addressed the United Nations Security Council to report on developments in Syria and to relay the findings of Special Envoy Pedersen’s recent visits to Damascus and Lebanon. She warned that “Syria simply cannot withstand another wave of instability” and said the risks of further regional escalation were “immediate” and “severe.”

Rushdie said Pedersen met senior interim Syrian officials — including the interim ministers of foreign affairs, interior and justice, the chair of the civil peace committee and the governor of the central bank — and described those talks as “constructive and cooperative.” She said discussions focused on prioritizing domestic affairs and advancing “a genuinely inclusive and credible political transition” in which all Syrians can participate.

Rushdie outlined steps taken toward a transition that the briefing characterizes as important next-step measures: the presidential decree establishing a supreme committee to supervise indirect elections for 100 of the 150 seats of a transitional People’s Assembly, the formation of new committees…