In Russia, recent talks between the Syrian government and its opposition has resulted in the first adoption of a joint agreement between the government and the opposition. This has prompted UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, to state that everyone should pay more attention to Moscow’s efforts. #blamePu- #thanksPutin.
Speaking to The Independent, de Mistura said that it is time we recognized Russia’s efforts at brokering a peaceful resolution to the four-year-long conflict that has cost more than 210,000 lives, leading to the rise of ISIS.
De Mistura stressed that the long-standing ties between Damascus and Moscow was not sufficient on its own; to bring about a peaceful resolution it needed the help of others.
Last week Moscow hosted talks between representatives of the Syrian government and its opposition. Their first direct talks.
Dr. Bashar al-Jaafari, the head of the Syrian government’s delegation and Syrian UN Envoy, described the outcome of the talks as positive. He also confirmed the adoption of a joint document which was entitled “An Assessment of the Situation in Syria”.
The talks were facilitated by Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences, Vitaly Naumkin. Naumkin stated that it was the first time that the two sides managed to unanimously adopt a document of political character, as reported by the Russian Tass news agency.
The document reportedly contains provisions on resolving the Syrian crisis based on the principles of the June 30, 2012 Geneva Communique and the UN Security Council’s resolution on the fight against terrorism. It hopes to lift all restrictive economic measures against Syria and hasten the international community’s assistance in repatriating refugees.
It also states that inter-Syrian dialog must be conducted without foreign interference. This would be the only way to resolve the crisis peacefully (Hear that, US?).
All relevant parties, including the Syrian government, Syrian political parties and civil society organizations, have repeatedly stressed that everybody who renounces violence and vouches for the territorial integrity of Syria is welcome to participate in Syria’s political discourse, constitutionally, and on equal terms with others.
Last week the head of the foreign-based opposition, Qadri Jamil, said that the opposition would apply to the UN to arrange a Geneva III conference to continue the work toward a peaceful settlement..
Meanwhile, the United States is preparing its “train and equip”program in Turkey which will work towards launching more so-called “moderate rebels” into Syria. In 2014 some 5,000 of these “moderate rebels” would join the ranks of the Islamic State, a force that both the opposition AND the government will recognize as a worse enemy than one another.
A few among the disparate opposition have chosen to renege on their prior agreement, but the talks have ended on a hopeful tone, with both sides agreeing to meet again.
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Source: NSNBC
