A/HRC/40/70 17. On the political front, after having served for over four years, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, announced on 17 October that he would be stepping down from his position for personal reasons. The Special Envoy subsequently travelled to Damascus to discuss the establishment of a constitutional committee with the Government. The Syrian Minister for Foreign Affairs stressed, however, that the constitution remained purely a sovereign matter. In another diplomatic push to revive the peace process and ease military tensions, the leaders of Turkey, France, Germany and the Russian Federation attended a summit in Istanbul to discuss developments in the north-west and the demilitarized zone, and the establishment of the constitutional committee. In parallel, the Secretary-General announced the appointment of Geir Pedersen as his Special Envoy for Syria. 18. A host of legal developments also marked the reporting period. In a move seen as an attempt to encourage refugee return, in October the Government issued a new law granting general amnesty to army deserters and those who had evaded conscription without a valid reason for doing so under domestic law. The Government also issued by presidential decree Law No. 42, extending the period under Law No. 10 to prove ownership of property slated for requisitioning from 30 days to one year, in addition to other amendments. 10 In support of accountability, France issued arrest warrants for three senior Syrian intelligence and government officials on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. 11 19. In Idlib, hostilities resumed towards the end of the reporting period. By early December, pro-government forces had begun firing surface-to-surface missiles and artillery shells against Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham defences in the southern countryside of Idlib, as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham concurrently engaged in fierce clashes with NFL in the demilitarized zone. In parallel, the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, affirmed that Turkey would launch a new campaign to target YPG positions east of the Euphrates River. 20. After a three-month-long military campaign, SDF captured Hajin from ISIL, the terrorist group’s last stronghold. Following the capture, the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, stated that ISIL was defeated and consequently ordered the withdrawal of United States troops from the Syrian Arab Republic. Welcoming the decision, the Government of Turkey stated it would postpone for one month its impending operation east of the Euphrates and coordinate with the United States on the withdrawal of United States troops from the area. President Trump later announced that the United States would slow down the pace of troop withdrawal. 21. The Syrian army meanwhile deployed to villages west of Manbij (Aleppo) after discussions between Damascus and SDF to prevent a Turkish attack in the event of a full United States withdrawal. In the north-west, infighting intensified in Idlib and western Aleppo after the NFL called for mobilization against Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham. Towards the end of the reporting period, clashes between NFL and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham intensified, with the latter expanding its control in the area. In the north, the possibility of a military operation east of the Euphrates looms. 22. At the time of writing, three broad swathes of territory remain outside of government control: Idlib Governorate and adjacent areas in western Aleppo countryside and northern Hama; Tanf de-confliction zone in Homs, near Rukban camp; and the northern and eastern parts of the country under SDF control. IV. Protection of civilians 23. Attacks against civilians and civilian objects in Idlib, Aleppo, Dayr al-Zawr and Suwayda’ Governorates, which have killed and injured scores of Syrian women, men and 10 11 6 Other amendments in Law No. 42 include giving claimants more time to appeal verdicts and letting them do so through the courts instead of through a dedicated judicial committee. Those whose properties are already registered in the State land registry are no longer required to prove ownership. One of the officials, the head of Syrian air force intelligence, was already the subject of an international arrest warrant issued by Germany in June 2018.