Russia, Turkey and Iran agree to plan for Syria ‘congress’
ASTANA, Kazakhstan: Russia, Turkey and Iran pledged Tuesday in Kazakhstan to bring the Syrian regime and its opponents together for a ‘congress’ to help nudge peace efforts towards a more lasting political settlement.
A joint statement released by Russia and Iran, who support the regime, and Turkey, which backs the rebels, referred to an “initiative of Russia” to put Syrian government representatives and opposition groups face-to-face.
A statement on the Russian foreign ministry website on Tuesday listed 33 Syrian organisations invited to a ‘Congress of Syrian National Dialogue’ in the Russian city of Sochi on Nov 18.
The proposal was one of the few notable outcomes from the seventh round of talks on Syria held in the Kazakh capital Astana, which are widely viewed as Moscow’s attempt to stamp its imprint on a settlement for Syria.
Russia’s chief negotiator for Syria, Aleksandr Lavrentyev, urged opposition factions to “participate and present their positions” in the meeting that he said would touch on constitutional reform.
But Lavrentyev could not confirm that the United Nations and its Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura would take part in the Sochi meeting, despite continuing negotiations.
“We want to emphasise that this event should be part of the international community’s efforts to find effective mechanisms for political settlement,” Lavrentyev said.
But representatives of the Syrian opposition in Astana cast doubt on the plan.
Yehya al-Aridi, a spokesman for the Syrian opposition, called the suggestion “a jump in the air to another place” and said the congress risked sending “a fake message” on Syria.
“We told Russia, ‘ First stop killing our children’,” said another rebel representative, Yasser Abdelrahim, who brandished what appeared to be photos of dead children at the plenary session in Astana.
The Astana talks that began in January have run parallel to negotiations taking place in Geneva with the backing of the United Nations, and the congress plan appears to be Moscow’s attempt to force the pace in a bid for a political settlement. — AFP