Brahimi ‘may hold talks with powers’

A child holds a banner reading in Arabic “In Syria they only eat bread with blood” during a demonstration in front of the Syrian embassy in Amman yesterday.

AFP/United Nations

International envoy Lakhdar Brahimi could meet with the US and Russia next week to discuss ways to end the Syrian civil war, Pakistan’s UN ambassador said.

Masood Khan told reporters on Thursday he had spoken to Brahimi on Wednesday and that “there are new contacts, there is a new effort under way” to find a political resolution of the 21-month conflict that has claimed around 60,000 lives.

“We are hoping there will be a trilateral meeting sometime next week between Moscow, Washington and Mr Brahimi,” said Khan, whose country currently holds the rotating presidency of the UN Security Council.

“Let us hope for some concrete result,” he added.

The UN-Arab League envoy last met Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov and US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns in Geneva on December 9.

Without specifying a date, Khan added that Brahimi was also likely to come to New York to brief the Security Council.

On Sunday, Brahimi said he had crafted a ceasefire plan.

“I have discussed this plan with Russia and Syria... I think this proposal could be adopted by the international community,” Brahimi said at the time, without revealing any details.

Asked about the proposal, Khan said Brahimi was “making honest political endeavours” and that he wanted the Syrian government to be one of the interlocutors.