UN Syria envoy calls for Russia, US talks

The U.N. special envoy for Syria called for talks between Russia and the United States to help end the more than nine-year-old war.

Geir Pedersen’s encouragement to Moscow and Washington to take a leading role was his first public appeal to the rival powers on opposing sides of the conflict.

Russia has been the key backer of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Pedersen added that Syria's opposing parties have agreed to resume talks in Geneva over their war-torn country as soon as travel restrictions linked to the COVID-19 pandemic allow.

To date, the spread of the new coronavirus has been limited, he added, warning of ,"a risk of a wider spread that is ever-present."

Pedersen said there is anxiety that while violence has somewhat abated at the moment it could escalate at any time.

He also called for action to be taken in the case of the detainees, abductees and missing persons, as part of confidence-building measures between the warring parties.