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UN special envoy fears escalation in Syria

He mentioned the latest developments in the country, including the deadly attack on a military academy in Homs, and retaliatory strikes on Idlib

GENEVA, October 6. /TASS/. The Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General for Syria Geir Pedersen expressed his serious concern by the latest round of escalation in the country in a statement, published in Geneva.

"I deeply deplore the loss of life on all sides," he said, adding that he urgently appeals to all sides "to exercise the utmost restraint."

"Today’s horrific scenes are a reminder of the need to immediately de-escalate violence, towards a nationwide ceasefire and a cooperative approach to countering Security Council-listed terrorist groups, in line with Security Council resolution 2254 (2015)," the UN official continued. "All sides must respect their obligations under international law and ensure the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure."

He mentioned the latest developments in the country, including the deadly attack on a military academy in Homs, and retaliatory strikes on Idlib.

"This came against the backdrop of weeks of significant escalation in northwest Syria, with pro-Government airstrikes and also attacks by Security Council-listed terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham [outlawed in Russia]," Pedersen wrote.

He also drew attention to "concerning reports <…> of escalating violence in northeast Syria" and "Turkish strikes, including on civilian infrastructure."

"This escalation came on the back of an attack on Turkish Government facilities in Ankara, claimed by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK)," the UN emissary said.

"Today’s developments further highlight that the status quo in Syria is unsustainable and that, in the absence of a meaningful political path to implementing Security Council resolution 2254 (2015), I fear we will only see further deterioration, including in the security situation," he concluded.

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