According to UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, de Mistura stressed after the meeting that the opinions of Saudi Arabia had to be taken into account during the consultations because of the country’s status as an important player in the region.

“It is clear that any political process to end the Syrian conflict needs to be supported and facilitated by the regional parties,” he said, adding that de Mistura also consulted Kofi Annan, the former UN Special Envoy, to better understand the process that had led to the Geneva Communiqué.

The Communiqué was adopted after the first international meeting on the issue on 30 June 2012, and since endorsed by the UN Security Council. It lays out key steps in a process to end the violence.