The U.S. and Russia agreed they will try to push forward negotiations to end the five-year war in Syria, which remain deadlocked over the fate of Russia’s ally Bashar- al-Assad,during talks in Moscow with visiting Secretary of State John Kerry.
“We will accelerate the effort to try and move the political process forward,” Kerry said at a joint news conference with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov after meeting him and President Vladimir Putin for about four hours on Thursday in the Kremlin. “I believe Russia is fully engaged in this effort, and all of us are going to try and get President Assad to make the right decision in the next few days to engage in a political process that results in a genuine transition and in peace for Syria.”
Lavrov said his country is committed to promoting the political transition in Syria, though he said it must based on “mutual consent” between the government and opposition in line with international agreements on resolving the crisis.
Russia and the U.S., which brokered a partial cease-fire last month, agreed at the talks to step up efforts to cement the truce and other measures aimed at supporting the peace process. These include urging the government and opposition to start discussing details of a political transition and enter into direct talks. The two countries also called for expanded humanitarian access and for both sides in the conflict to start freeing detainees.
August Target
“We agreed on a target schedule for establishing a framework for a political transition and also a draft constitution, both of which we target by August,” Kerry said at the Kremlin.
The United Nations-sponsored talks in Geneva mark the most serious effort yet to end the war that has killed more than a quarter of a million people. The conflict has sparked a refugee exodus to Europe and given Islamic State a safe haven from which to expand across the region and plot terror attacks such as Tuesday’s bombings in Belgium. The attacks that killed 31 and injured 270 in Brussels, the worst in Belgium’s history, have given an added sense of urgency to efforts to end the Syrian crisis.
Putin last week ordered the partial withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria after more than five months of airstrikes in support of Assad that helped tip the balance in the conflict with rebels. The pullout gave a “new impetus” to the negotiations between the government and opposition, according to the UN.
Assad has so far refused to present an alternative to opposition proposals for a political transition at the peace talks, which include a demand for his resignation. Syrian authorities have indicated that they will accept only a limited role for the opposition in a national unity government, and that discussing the possibility of Assad stepping down is a “red line.”
The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, published a document Thursday listing a dozen joint principles between the government and opposition as a basis for political transition. They include maintaining the unity of Syria, a democratic and nonsectarian state, the continuity and reform of state institutions, and the disarmament and integration of armed groups into a unified national army. The Geneva talks adjourned Thursday after more than 10 days and are due to resume in April.
U.A.E.’s Role
Putin discussed the Syrian peace process with Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, who is deputy supreme commander of the U.A.E.’s armed forces, at a meeting in Moscow Thursday. The U.A.E. is a close ally of Saudi Arabia, which wants Assad to leave office. The crown prince also met Kerry in the Russian capital.
Russia is ready for dialogue with the Saudi-backed Syrian opposition’s High Negotiations Committee and has invited it to Moscow, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told reporters Thursday.
The U.S. and its allies are counting on Russia to come to the realization that it’s better to try to preserve the Syrian state than Assad’s rule at all costs, a Western diplomat in Geneva said. A transitional government has to mean that Assad has no powers even if he remains formally in office, the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the deliberations are confidential.
Major powers endorsed a road-map in November that would establish a transitional ruling body with full executive authority in Syria of government and opposition members within six months. This would lead to internationally supervised elections under a new constitution a year later.
“We have a unanimity about the vision of how we will achieve peace in Syria,” Kerry said, describing the Moscow talks as “productive.”
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