Syria peace talks set for November following petition to Obama and Putin

Since the outbreak of the crisis in Syria, UNA-UK's Stop the Violence campaign has consistently advocated a political settlement as the only sustainable solution.

In July 2013, UNA-UK joined forces with Oxfam International and others to petition US President Obama and Russian President Putin to set a date for the proposed Geneva II peace talks, and to do everything in their power to ensure that the talks focus on protecting civilians, stopping the violence and forging an inclusive political settlement.

Last month the petition, with over 100,000 signatures, was handed to representatives of Presidents Obama and Putin during the opening of the UN General Assembly in New York. The petition hand-in was accompanied by a demonstration outside the UN building in which a large-scale 3D artwork (below) was displayed depicting Presidents Obama and Putin sitting passively around a map of Syria, whilst fenced-in refugees suffered and waited.

Shortly after the petition was handed in, the Security Council passed Resolution 2118, mandating the scheduled destruction of Syria's chemical weapons stockpile and reaffirming its committment to Geneva II talks. Since then, the talks have been tentatively scheduled for mid-November. 

UNA-UK believes it is crucial for these talks to include consideration of an international coordinating structure on humanitarian issues that involves all parties in Syria and in the region with a legitimate interest in protecting civilians.

We would like to thank all those who participated in the petition. We are pleased that the initiative has played its part in building support, both among the public and the diplomatic community, for a political settlement in Syria, and now call on stakeholders to use the Geneva II conference to start improving conditions for the 6.8 million people within Syria and the two million living outside its borders as refugees.