BRUSSELS / SYRIA PEDERSEN MOGHERINI

STORY: BRUSSELS / SYRIA PEDERSEN MOGHERINI
TRT: 01:44
SOURCE: EUROPEAN UNION
RESTRICTIONS: NO NO ACCESS APTN LIBRARY
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 13 MARCH 2019, BRUSSELS, BELGIUM / FILE

SHOTLIST:

FILE - BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

1. Various shots, European Union Headquarters exterior

13 MARCH 2019, BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

2. Zoom in, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini and the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen walk up to their podiums
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Geir Pedersen, Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria:
“The Syrian people, after 10 years, want an end to the conflict. And we really believe that women has a particular role to play when it comes to this. We know from other peace processes that without the active participation of women in solving the conflict, the deal that eventually will be made will not be as solid, not as good, and the danger of lapsing back into conflict will be even higher.”
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Federica Maria Mogherini, High Representative, European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy:
“We met a group of women, it was not the first time we meet, we work with them very closely. They are not only the first victims of the war, they are also essential peace builders. They are those that can, with more possibilities and more hope I would say, play a role in restoring the fabric of the Syrian society, and working on post-conflict reconciliation. And I promised the that I would have mentioned this also publicly. I am convinced that if the UN Special Envoy could gather only women in his talks, probably we would get a solution to the war in a week, or so.”
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Geir Pedersen, Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria:
“My top priority is to engage the Syrian government and the Syrian opposition and trying to establish areas where we can go deeper into the areas we have agreed to discuss and to see, based on that, if we could develop some commonalities.”
6. Pan left, Mogherini and Pedersen shake hands and walk away

STORYLINE:

Prior to the 2019 Brussels Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region, today (13 Mar) in Brussels, United Nations (UN) and European Union (EU) officials highlighted the role of women in the Syrian peace process.

Addressing reporters, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, said “the Syrian people, after 10 years, want an end to the conflict. And we really believe that women has a particular role to play when it comes to this.”

Pedersen said that “without the active participation of women in solving the conflict, the deal that eventually will be made will not be as solid, not as good, and the danger of lapsing back into conflict will be even higher.”

The EU’s High Representative for European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Maria Mogherini, said women “are not only the first victims of the war, they are also essential peace builders” and can “play a role in restoring the fabric of the Syrian society, and working on post-conflict reconciliation.”

Mogherini said she was “convinced that if the UN Special Envoy could gather only women in his talks, probably we would get a solution to the war in a week, or so.”

Answering questions from reporters, Pedersen said his top priority “is to engage the Syrian government and the Syrian opposition and trying to establish areas where we can go deeper into the areas we have agreed to discuss and to see, based on that, if we could develop some commonalities.”

The Conference aims to ensure that Member States and global leaders mobilize resources to respond to the humanitarian crisis in Syria by raising awareness and demonstrating that one major impediment to the delivery of humanitarian assistance and protection to people in need is inadequate funding. It also aims to strengthen regional and international solidarity with affected people, both inside and outside of Syria.