UN's Syria envoy calls for 'free and fair elections' following political transition

United Nations special envoy Geir Pedersen called Wednesday for "free and fair elections" in Syria and urged humanitarian assistance to the war-torn country after Bashar al-Assad's ouster this month.

Addressing reporters at the end of a visit to Damascus, Pedersen said "There is a lot of hope that we can now see the beginning of a new Syria", which he expressed hope would also include a "political solution" in the Kurdish-held northeast.

The UN envoy called for "a new Syria that, in line with Security Council Resolution 2254, will adopt a new constitution... and that we will have free and fair elections when that time comes, after a transitional period."

Resolution 2254, adopted in 2015 at the height of the civil war, set out a roadmap for a political settlement in Syria.

Pedersen emphasized the importance of a political transition that includes "the broadest range of the Syrian society and Syrian parties".

He expressed hope that Syrians could rebuild their country and that "the process to end sanctions" imposed under the former government could begin.

"We need immediate humanitarian assistance, but we also need to make sure that Syria can be rebuilt, that we can see economic recovery," he said.

A rebel alliance led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ousted Assad on December 8 after more than 13 years of grinding civil war that began with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.

An interim government led by Mohammad al-Bashir, formerly the head of the rebel administration in northwest Syria's Idlib region, will steer the country until March 1.

Kurdish issue  

The UN envoy said, "there is stability in Damascus, but there are challenges in some areas".

"One of the biggest challenges is the situation in the northeast," he added.

Swathes of north and northeast Syria are controlled by a semi-autonomous Kurdish administration whose de facto army, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), spearheaded the fight that defeated Islamic State group jihadists in Syria in 2019.

Turkey has staged multiple operations against SDF since 2016, and fears have grown of a Turkish assault on the border town of Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab.

Turkey accuses the main component of the SDF, the People's Protection Units (YPG), of being affiliated with Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants at home, whom both Washington and Ankara consider a "terrorist" group.

The United States said on Tuesday it had brokered an extension to a fragile ceasefire in the flashpoint town of Manbij and was seeking a broader understanding with Turkey.

"I'm very pleased that the truce has been renewed and that it seems to be holding, but hopefully we will see a political solution to that issue," Pedersen said.

The semi-autonomous administration on Wednesday announced the cancellation of customs and other taxes between the areas it controls and the rest of Syria, days after calling for an end to all fighting in the country and extending a hand to the new authorities in Damascus.

HTS's military chief told AFP on Tuesday that Kurdish-held areas of Syria would be integrated under the country's new leadership, adding that the group rejects federalism and that "Syria will not be divided".

The Kurds faced discrimination during more than 50 years of Assad family rule, and the long-oppressed community fears it could lose hard-won gains it made during the war, including limited self-rule.