De Mistura replaces Brahimi as UN envoy to Syria

United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has appointed Staffan de Mistura as the new UN envoy to Syria to replace Lakhdar Brahimi.

“I am pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Staffan de Mistura as the special envoy of the secretary general for Syria,” Ban said at a press conference on Thursday, adding that the decision was made after broad consultations, especially with Syrian officials.

Unlike his predecessor, Mistura will not be the joint envoy of the UN and the Arab League.

“This responsibility of the special envoy for anybody, starting from Kofi Annan and Lakhdar Brahimi and Staffan De Mistura, will require very skillful…diplomatic efforts,” Ban said.

He underlined that the new envoy will engage with all sides involved in the crisis, whether inside or outside Syria, to reach his goal to end bloodshed in the country.

Ban also asked the UN Security Council and the Syrian parties to give De Mistura a “unified support.”

Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since March 2011. Over 160,000 people have reportedly been killed and millions displaced due to the violence fueled by the Western-backed militants.

According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies — especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey — are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.