Working Groups on Syria to Begin Operations in September

Four working groups on Syrian reconciliation will commence work in September, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Four working groups on Syrian reconciliation, involving representatives of both the government and the opposition, will commence work in September, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura offered a fresh approach to getting stalled peace efforts off the ground by inviting Syrians to participate in the thematic working groups.

"As far as timeline is concerned, we are trying to do it as soon as possible…even in September. So all these four working groups will operationalize as soon as possible," the UN chief said at a press conference.

He also urged the UN Security Council to take advantage of the "great momentum" created by the Iran nuclear deal to end the violence in Syria, and expressed hope that Tehran would play a constructive role as well.

Syria has been mired in a civil war since 2011. The country's government is fighting a number of opposition forces as well as radical Islamist militant organizations, including ISIL.

According to UN estimates, the conflict in Syria has claimed more than 220,000 lives.