UN Security Council to hold meeting on Syria

The UN Security Council is slated to hold a high-level meeting on Syria on September 21 aimed at achieving a political resolution of the ongoing conflict.

Prime Minister of New Zealand John Key will chair the high-level discussion which is considered necessary to ensure the peace process in Syria gets back on track, according to Ambassador Gerard Jacobus van Bohemen of New Zealand.

The meeting will take place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly annual high-level debate, starting from September 20. Invitations have been issued to leaders of the Security Council member states, Xinhua news agency quoted Van Bohemen as saying on Thursday.

In September, council members were also expected to hold two straw polls to gauge the viability of candidates that have been nominated for the position of the next Secretary-General, he noted.

A high-level meeting to discuss how to build up aviation security to combat terrorism has been scheduled to take place, he added.

Under the UN Charter, the Security Council has the primary responsibility for maintaining peace and security in the world at large. It also bears the responsibility to work on the mandate of UN peacekeeping operations.