US Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken and UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura met in Washington, DC on Thursday and discussed the next steps in the technical talks in the Syrian peace process as well as the importance of improving the cessation of hostilities, US Department of State spokesperson John Kirby told Sputnik.
"UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura met with Deputy Secretary Antony Blinkin today at the Department of State," Kirby told Sputnik. "Special Envoy de Mistura shared his thoughts on the Syrian political negotiations and his plans for next steps in the technical talks with the parties and regional partners."
Blinken reaffirmed US support for de Mistura’s ongoing political negotiations and expressed support for efforts "to ensure that relevant Syrian parties continue to have a voice in the process."
"They also discussed how to improve the COH [cessation of hostilities] moving forward," Kirby added.
Earlier in the day, US National Security Council (NSC) spokesperson Carlin Woog told Sputnik that de Mistura will also meet with NSC officials this week to discuss efforts to decrease violence against civilians in Syria.
Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with numerous opposition factions and Islamic extremists fighting the Syrian Army and other government forces in an attempt to topple the legitimate government of President Bashar Assad.
A US-Russia-brokered agreement on cessation of hostilities came into force across Syria on February 27. The agreement does not apply to terrorist organizations like Daesh and al-Nusra Front.