UN chief says Syria has 'moment of opportunity' to build stable future

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Sunday that Syria has a "moment of opportunity" to recover from years of conflict and build "a more stable, inclusive and prosperous future for all."

"Today, Syria is facing a moment of opportunity - not only to recover from conflict, but to lay the foundations for a more stable, inclusive and prosperous future for all," Guterres wrote on US social media platform X.

The UN chief's remarks came a day after he visited the Assad-era notorious Sednaya Prison north of Damascus during his landmark trip to Syria, the first by a UN secretary-general to the country since 2009.

"The Sednaya military prison shows how horrendous the oppression was during the previous Syrian regime," Guterres said in the same post.

The UN chief toured the prison alongside Syria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ibrahim Olabi, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). He also visited the Umayyad Mosque and toured Damascus' Old City.

Sednaya Prison, located north of Damascus, became one of the most notorious detention facilities under Syria's 61-year Baath regime. The prison gained international notoriety over systematic torture, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings, with thousands of detainees reported to have died there.

Guterres arrived in Damascus on Saturday for a three-day visit and held talks with President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani, during which he reaffirmed the UN's commitment to Syria's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity and called on the international community to support the country's recovery.