Compromise sought at key Syria summit

SOCHI, Russia, Nov 22, (Agencies): Vladimir Putin called Wednesday for “concessions and compromise” from all parties in Syria’s six-year conflict as he kicked off a key summit with the leaders of Turkey and Iran aimed at reviving stuttering peace negotiations.

The summit with Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani and Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan at the Black Sea resort of Sochi came two days after the Russian leader hosted surprise talks with the war-torn country’s President Bashar al-Assad there.

“It is obvious that the reform process will not be simple, it will require compromise and concessions from all parties, including obviously the Syrian government,” Putin said.

“I count on the fact that Russia, Iran and Turkey will put in their best efforts to make this work as productive as possible,” he added.

Putin added that there was a “real chance” to end Syria’s war which monitors say has killed more than 330,000 people as he said Russia, Turkey and Iran had managed to prevent the collapse of the war-torn country.

Turkey’s Erdogan for his part said the three countries had to intensify efforts to try to settle the crisis.

“We need to make significant progress on the political solution,” he said in translated remarks. “I believe that we will make critical decisions here.” Iran’s Rouhani said the three countries’ strategy was “based on partnership and not competition, on friendship and not on animosity”

“By cooperating, our countries destroyed the decaying body of terror” in Syria, he said.

Russia claims to have practically ended the military conflict through its intervention, but the various sides

in Syria are far from a political agreement.

Ahead of Wednesday’s summit in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Putin discussed Syria with his US counterpart Donald Trump and Saudi Arabia’s King Salman, among other leaders.

In a lengthy phone call late Tuesday, Putin and Trump stressed the need to ensure “the stability of a unified Syria,” the White House said.

Syria is divided between forces loyal to Kremlin-allied strongman Assad, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and several jihadist groups and rebel units.

Multiple rounds of talks hosted by the UN have failed to bring an end to the conflict.

Other initiatives including those spearheaded by Moscow have also failed to bear much fruit.

Encouraged by military progress of the Russian and Syrian forces on the ground, Putin is hoping to breathe new life in the stuttering negotiations.

Regime forces have gained the upper hand on the battlefield with Russia’s help, including recent victories against the Islamic State group and a fresh drive against rebels near Damascus.

Putin said in comments released Tuesday that “thanks to the Russian army, Syria has been saved as a state.”

Moscow, Ankara and Tehran are cooperating with increasing intensity on ending the civil war, even though Turkey backs the rebels, at odds with Russia and Iran.

The Syrian president’s fate remains a stumbling block, preventing global players from reaching a peace settlement.

During their phone call on Tuesday, Putin told Trump that “the Syrian leader confirmed his commitment to the political process, (and) conducting constitutional reform and presidential and parliamentary elections.”

Assad said he wanted to advance negotiations.

“We don’t want to look back and we are ready for dialogue with all those who want to come up with a political settlement,” Assad said in translated comments.

Wednesday’s summit comes ahead of parallel UN-led talks in Geneva set for Nov 28.

Meanwhile Syrian opposition figures gathered in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday in a bid to form an overhauled delegation to peace talks that analysts expect will be more willing to compromise on key demands.

Those talks will aim to bridge divisions between the factions opposed to Assad.

Russia, Iran and Turkey have backed negotiations in the Kazakh capital Astana that have brought together the representatives of the opposition and the regime.

Those talks led to the creation of four so-called “de-escalation zones” that produced a drop in violence, but fighting and bombardments continued.

The leaders of Russia, Turkey and Iran met Wednesday to discuss ways to advance a political settlement in Syria as the Islamic State group is nearing its defeat, while disparate Syrian opposition groups met in Saudi Arabia in a bid to form a united front for Syrian peace talks in Geneva.

“Militants in Syria have received a decisive blow, and there is a real chance to put an end to the civil war that has raged for many years,” Putin said at the start of talks with Turkish and Iranian counterparts in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Putin noted that political settlement will require concessions from all sides, including Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government.