It expressed thanks for his “tireless commitment” to a political solution for the Syrian conflict and called on the parties to “return to the negotiating table”. It also expressed support for the idea a constitutional committee for Syria.
“In this extremely complex context, Staffan de Mistura has always represented hope and shown great diplomatic finesse,” Swiss UN ambassador in Geneva Valentin Zellweger told the Keystone-SDA news agency. “Switzerland reiterates its support to the United Nations in its search for peace.”
De Mistura, who has been UN special envoy to Syria for more than four years, announced on Wednesday that he would step down at the end of November. The 71-year-old Italian-Swedish diplomat said this was for personal reasons. He said he would use the remaining time to try to make progress on a constitutional committee for Syria which would be tasked with drafting a new constitution.
The Syrian conflict which started in 2011 has left hundreds of thousands dead, while many more have been displaced or fled the country.
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Syria: what will it take to make peace?
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Lots of waiting, with very little outcome. Geneva correspondent Imogen Foulkes explains the hard reality of Syrian peace talks going nowhere.
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Western nations like Switzerland often have to deal with the process of recovering or returning looted artifacts which have been illegally imported. What’s the situation like in your country?
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The Swiss father of extreme skiing pioneered descents from the Alps to the Himalayas – and became the sport’s first star.
Hayek family buys additional Swatch shares for nearly CHF11 million
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Following the acquisition of registered shares worth over CHF20.6 million on Monday, the Hayek family made another purchase on Tuesday.
Suicide capsule to be used in Switzerland this year, says euthanasia organisation
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The organisation “The Last Resort” has confirmed that the suicide capsule Sarco is to be used in Switzerland. This should happen this year, it said.
Ukrainian children flown to Switzerland for cancer treatment
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The Swiss air rescue service Rega flew two Ukrainian children with cancer to Switzerland from a hospital in Kyiv hit by Russian missiles.
Swiss Solidarity raises over CHF10 million for victims of extreme weather
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The money raised will be used to help those affected by the recent storms and flooding in the cantons of Ticino, Graubünden, and Valais.
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Sales of Swiss-made luxury watches are in sharp retreat as nervous consumers reconsider splashing out on expensive timepieces and demand slumps.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
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Syrian civil society meets in Geneva to discuss peace
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With war still raging in Syria and official peace talks on hold, a quiet peace initiative is continuing behind the scenes in Geneva.
Syria and mediator trade blame as peace talks fail
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Speaking on Swiss public television RTS on Thursday evening, de Mistura said Putin should convince the Bashar Al-Assad government to accept a new constitution and new elections to “win the peace”. Responding in New York, a spokesman for the UN Secretary General reiterated full support for de Mistura. This came as the latest round of…
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Here is a short guide to the sixth round of the intra-Syrian peace negotiations, which are taking place in Geneva and set to run from May 16-19.
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.