UN envoy warns Syria conflict not over yet

DAMASCUS: A UN envoy warned on Tuesday that Syria´s protracted conflict “has not ended yet”, even as the country´s victorious Islamist-led rebels stepped up contacts with governments that deemed ousted president Bashar al-Assad a pariah.

But the United Nations´ special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, said: “There have been significant hostilities in the last two weeks, before a ceasefire was brokered... A five-day ceasefire has now expired and I am seriously concerned about reports of military escalation.

“Such an escalation could be catastrophic.”

The UN´s migration chief, Amy Pope, meanwhile warned against a “large-scale return” of refugees to Syria, adding that “sending people back will only destabilise the country further”.

She also told AFP that “tens of thousands” of people have fled Syria and “we are hearing that especially religious minorities are leaving.” She pointed to reports that members of the Muslim minority had fled “not because they´re actually threatened, but they´re concerned about the possible threat”.

Rooted in Syria´s branch of al-Qaeda, HTS is proscribed by several Western governments as a terrorist organisation, though it has sought to moderate its rhetoric and pledged to protect the country´s religious minorities.

European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen pledged to intensify the EU´s engagement with Syria´s new rulers.

“Now we have to step up and continue our direct engagement with HTS and other factions,” she said after talks in Ankara with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose government is in constant dialogue with HTS.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the bloc would reopen its mission in Syria following “constructive” talks with its new leadership.