Guterres makes first visit to Syria by UN chief since before civil war

By Tala Ramadan BEIRUT, July 25 (Reuters) - U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres arrived in Damascus on Saturday for the first trip to Syria by a serving United Nations' chief since 2009, before the start of a civil war that killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions. "The United Nations stands with Syria at this pivotal moment," Guterres said in a post on X on arriving for what he described as a "visit of solidarity". He appealed to the international community to "spare no effort" to support the Syrian people.