MOSCOW. Feb 16 (Interfax-AVN) - If Moscow, Ankara, Tehran and Damascus can stabilize the ceasefire, this could bring about major opportunities and prompt major changes for settling the conflict in Syria, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said at a meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu in Moscow on Thursday.
It is crucial at the moment to work out a reliable ceasefire mechanism, and the ongoing negotiations in Astana are particularly focused on this, de Mistura said.
De Mistura said he has seen many ceasefires in Lebanon and in the Balkans. Possible incidents need to be taken into account in such ceasefires, he said. For this reason, the UN has a very strong delegation in Astana, de Mistura said, adding that the organization has 70 years of experience in this area.
He appreciated the role that Moscow's, Istanbul's, Tehran's and Damascus's joint efforts play in this process.
Additionally, de Mistura thanked Russia for the efforts made in Astana to settle the situation in Syria and said the level of violence had decreased in the country.
He confirmed that the UN had seen a decline in violence in Syria since the ceasefire treaty was signed with Turkey.
Having mentioned significant headway in a Syria settlement process, de Mistura said the ceasefire should be stabilized and that his meeting with Shoigu was very important in this context.