New York, SANA- UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura called for holding new round of UN-backed intra-Syrian talks in Geneva on March 23.

“Syria’s government and opposition groups are invited to resume peace talks in Geneva on March 23,” the UN envoy said in a press conference in New York on Wednesday.

” Talks will be indirect and will focus on governance, constitutional process, elections and counter-terrorism and there may also be discussions on reconstruction,” De Mistura added.

The UN Envoy pointed out that he briefed the UN Security Council, in a closed door meeting, on the outcomes of the fourth round of the intra-Syrian dialogue, recently held in Geneva, calling on the participants in Astana and the sponsoring sides to
enhance the cessation of hostilities in Syria.

The fourth round of UN-backed intra-Syrian talks concluded in Geneva on Match 3rd with the participation of the Syrian government delegation and opposition delegations.

The Kazakh capital of Astana hosted two meetings on the crisis in Syria; the first meeting was held on January 23-24 as its final statement stressed commitment to Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial unity, while the second meeting
which was held on February 16 reiterated the need for enhancing the cessation of hostilities in the country.