I congratulate Staffan de Mistura on his appointment as Special Envoy of the United Nations for Syria.

He is taking over the difficult task of trying to pull together all the threads of the political process in Syria to help ensure that people there can finally find fresh hope for an end to the violence and a solution to the conflict.

Staffan de Mistura has proven his outstanding diplomatic skills during many crises. Germany will do everything in its power to support him in his efforts.