Syria is a failure for UN, says Luxembourg Foreign Minister

(CS/wl) Luxembourg's Foreign Affairs Minister Jean Asselborn commented on Wednesday that Syria represented a failure for the UN Security Council, while not giving up hope on the situation.

“Syria is a complete failure on a humanitarian level and a big failure for the UN Security Council,” Asselborn said at a press conference in Luxembourg.

Still, the minister added that the next Syria conference in Geneva, planned for the end of May and beginning of June offered a “glimmer of hope” for a resolution of the conflict in Syria, which has lasted for over two years.

Syria's neighbouring countries, as well as major international players like the US, Russia and representatives from Europe, are set to attend.

Asselborn said the conference was an important step, even though it did not offer a guaranteed resolution of the civil war, which has seen a rise in the number of atrocities committed on both the side of the government forces and the rebels.

With Moscow reportedly debating delivering arms to Syria, the topic will also be discussed at the next EU foreign ministers' meeting later in May. While some member states, including France and the UK, have spoken out in favour of lifting an arms embargo, Luxembourg, like the majority of EU states, want the embargo to stay in play.