The 21st round of negotiations on Syria concluded in the Kazakh capital, Thursday, in the presence of delegations of the three countries participating in the “Astana process” (Russia, Turkey, and Iran) and representatives of the government and opposition in Syria, and with the participation of the international envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, at the head of a delegation representing the United Nations. As well as the International Red Cross and delegations of countries participating as observers, led by Lebanon, Jordan and Iraq.
The Russian President’s envoy to Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, who heads his country’s delegation, announced that the talks “were intense and in-depth,” expressing satisfaction with the course of the dialogue.
The final statement of the round, issued by the three guarantor countries, reflected the basic elements in which viewpoints intersected.
Although the “Astana process” was subjected to many criticisms during the recent period, leading to the announcement of its “death” after the last round, the results of which were very limited, and diplomats spoke of not expecting “breakthroughs” from the current rounds of dialogue, the understandings that seemed to be The results of the meeting indicated “the continued vitality and importance of the Astana formula,” as a Russian diplomat said.
This conviction was reflected in the final statement, as the guarantor countries (Russia, Iran, and Turkey) stressed “the leadership role of the Astana process in strengthening the Syrian settlement,” expressed their deep concern about the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, and called for a ceasefire.
According to the statement, “the countries participating in the Astana formula reviewed the situation in the world and the region,” and stressed “the leadership role of the Astana process in promoting a sustainable solution to the Syrian crisis.”
Part of the work of the “Astana 21” meeting (Anatolia)
The attendees condemned “all Israeli military attacks against Syria, and considered them a violation of international law, international humanitarian law, and Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The three countries stressed the importance of continuing efforts to “normalize relations between Turkey and Syria on the basis of mutual respect, good faith and good neighbourliness, in order to combat terrorism and create appropriate conditions for the safe, voluntary and dignified return of Syrians, with the participation of the United Nations Office and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, intensifying the political process and ensuring Unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid to all Syrians. The countries welcomed the efforts made by the guarantors of the Astana formula within the Quartet formula to achieve this goal.
But what is striking is that, in contrast to the final statement’s reference to the “quartet formula” (the three guarantor countries and the Syrian government), the course of the round indicated the failure of this formula against the backdrop of both Damascus and Ankara’s adherence to their previous positions.
The final statement emphasized “the important role of the Syrian Constitutional Committee, which was established with a decisive contribution from the guarantor states of the Astana formula, in implementing the decisions of the Syrian National Dialogue Conference in Sochi on promoting the political settlement of the Syrian conflict.” It also called on countries to expedite the resumption of the activities of the conference and to hold the ninth session of its editorial board with a constructive approach from the Syrian parties, reaffirming their determination to support the work of the committee through continuous interaction with its Syrian parties and the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to Syria, Geir Pedersen.
According to the statement, the three countries reviewed “in detail the situation in the Idlib de-escalation zone and stressed the need to maintain calm on the ground through the full implementation of all existing agreements regarding Idlib.”
The attendees also expressed concern about the presence and activities of terrorist groups that threaten civilians inside and outside the de-escalation zone.
UN envoy Geir Pedersen during the meetings of the Syrian Constitutional Committee in Geneva last June (United Nations)
The countries agreed to make further efforts to ensure sustainable normalization of the situation in and around the de-escalation zone, including with regard to the humanitarian situation.
The countries also stressed the need to stop the war on Gaza and the importance of preventing the expansion of the armed confrontation zone and attracting other countries in the region to it.
It seemed that the wording of the statement carried agreement between the three countries on the main elements that were on the dialogue agenda. Especially with regard to stabilizing the ceasefire in Syria and preventing escalation. This is the basic outcome of the meeting, and something that the Syrian opposition delegation headed by Ahmed Touma had focused on during the talks with the delegations present.
Tohme told Asharq Al-Awsat that he had received assurances that there were Russian-Turkish-Iranian understandings to prevent any military escalation in the Idlib region, and that any violations of the ceasefire would be addressed jointly.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meets with the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, in Moscow, June 8 (AFP)
He also stated that he felt that “the agreements on this matter seemed reassuring and great,” and added that the Russian delegation confirmed this during a meeting with the opposition delegation.
Tohme praised the progress achieved on the Constitutional Committee file. But on the other hand, he expressed his regret over the absence of any progress in the detainees’ file, which in turn was a top priority for the opposition delegation. Tohme said that a special session was held within the framework of the tour for the “working group” on the detainees’ file, in the presence of the United Nations, representatives of the guarantor countries and the International Red Cross, and “those present did not succeed in getting the regime to take any step in terms of releasing the detainees or even revealing the fate of some of the missing.” ». Note that the opposition was preparing, in accordance with understandings with the Red Cross, to conduct an exchange of detainees within the framework of this round.
Regarding the Constitutional Committee file, Asharq Al-Awsat learned that Pedersen may soon go on a visit to Damascus to discuss arrangements for resuming the work of the committee. If this visit takes place, it will be the first for the international envoy after long procrastination on the part of Damascus.
It was noticeable at the conclusion of the tour that the Russian side’s focus was on renewing major criticism of the American presence in Syria.
Lavrentiev said during a closing press conference, “The United States is the main cause of instability in Syria by continuing its illegal military presence and supporting terrorist organizations and separatist groups.”
He pointed out that “the Syrian people, who are still suffering as a result of the coercive economic measures imposed by the United States and European countries,” must also “confront the separatist agendas of American-backed groups.”
He added that this position is shared by Russia and Iran, and “there is a similar position by Turkey that the illegal American presence in the Al-Jazeera and Al-Tanf regions is the main reason for the ongoing instability in Syria.”
The Russian envoy urged the Kurdish component in Syria to open direct channels of communication with Damascus.
This is what Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov emphasized during his participation in a Security Council session two days ago. Lavrov said, “The political forces among the Syrian Kurds who depend on the protection of the United States are betting on a morally and politically false bet.”
Commenting on the information that the United States is considering the possibility of a complete withdrawal of forces from Syria, Lavrov recalled that “this has already happened once,” when former US President Donald Trump announced a similar intention.
Lavrov said: “After a few days, the United States changed its mind, and representatives of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurds, stopped asking us to help establish contacts with Damascus and immediately returned under the American wing.”
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2024-01-25 16:03:08
