DAMASCUS, Dec 18, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - United Nations special envoy Geir Pedersen called Wednesday for "free and fair elections" and humanitarian assistance for Syria, expressing hope for a political solution in the northeast, after Bashar al-Assad's ouster this month.

Addressing reporters in Damascus, Pedersen expressed hope for "free and fair elections... after a transitional period", also calling for "immediate humanitarian assistance" for the war-torn country and saying that "hopefully we will see a political solution" in the Kurdish-held northeast.