Assad talks peace in Moscow

Russia holds summit with Iran and Turkey as it reduces military in Syria

MOSCOW: Syrian President Bashar Assad was asked to come to Russia to get him to agree to potential peace initiatives drafted by Russia, Iran and Turkey as Russia prepares to scale down its military presence in the country’s six-year war, said the Kremlin.

President Vladimir Putin hosted Assad in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Monday ahead of a summit between Russia, Turkey and Iran and a new round of Syria peace talks in Geneva. The meeting was unannounced and the Kremlin did not make it public until yesterday morning.

“I passed to (Putin) and all Russian people our greetings and gratitude for all of the efforts that Russia made to save our country,” Assad told Russia’s top brass.

Assad has only ventured outside his war-ravaged nation twice since the conflict began – both times to Russia. This week’s visit to meet Putin is his second since the crisis began in March 2011 leading to a civil war that has killed some 400,000 and resulted in millions of refugees.

The first was in October 2015, shortly after Russia launched its military campaign in Syria to shore up Assad’s forces which turned the war in favour of Assad.

The meeting in Sochi, which lasted three hours, came ahead of a summit at the same place between the presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey.

Iran and Russia have been Assad’s main backers while Turkey supports the opposition.

Putin had spoken with the leaders of Iran and Turkey to “assure them that Russia will work with the Syrian leadership to prepare the groundwork for possible understandings” that could be reached today to “make sure” that agreements reached will be “viable”, Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, told reporters yesterday.

The Kremlin said Putin would phone President Donald Trump and Saudi King Salman to discuss the situation in Syria today.

Asked whether Putin and Assad have talked about the Syrian president’s future in post-war Syria, Peskov said “possible options for political settlement have been discussed”.

Faced with pressure from other nations urging Assad to step down, Moscow has insisted that it is up to the Syrian people to vote Assad in or out.

With the Syrian government controlling most of the country and the Islamic State fighters in disarray, Putin told Assad at their meeting that Moscow is about to curtail its military presence there.

“Regarding our joint operation to fight terrorists in Syria, this military operation is indeed coming to an end,” he told Assad in televised remarks.

“I’m pleased to see your willingness to work with everyone who wants peace and settlement.”

The Kremlin has announced scale-downs and a halt in its operation in Syria before but did not follow through.

Footage and photographs released by the Kremlin press office showed Putin giving Assad a warm embrace upon his arrival at Putin’s residence in Sochi.

Assad’s office quoted him as thanking Russia and its military, which he said “gave martyrs and made efforts in Syria”.