No seat at Syria peace talks table for US
KAZAKHSTAN: America’s diminished role in world affairs will be underlined today when a new round of Syria talks begins without a single diplomat flying in from Washington to attend.
After years of frantic shuttle diplomacy by John Kerry, secretary of state under President Barack Obama, the talks will instead be sponsored by Russia and Turkey, with Iran acting as a third member of an informal triumvirate of regional powers.
They are being held firmly outside the American sphere of influence; in Astana, the snow-bound capital of the central Asian state of Kazakhstan, formerly part of the USSR.
Diplomats and a large delegation of Syrian rebels arrived in the early hours of yesterday, appearing bemused that a city where average temperatures in January are minus 14C had been chosen to host them.
After days in which it was unclear whether Washington would be represented in any form, the state department released a brief statement at the weekend saying that the ambassador to Kazakhstan, George Krol, would attend as an ‘‘observer’’.
The venue and timing appear to be a deliberate snub to the Obama administration, if not to the American democratic process: the talks begin during the power vacuum between President Donald Trump’s inauguration and the confirmation of his cabinet, including that of Rex Tillerson, the new secretary of state.
The Russians did offer an invitation to General James Flynn, Trump’s choice for national security advisor, but Iran declared that no American presence was welcome.
Mark Toner, a state department spokesman who remains in place until Trump’s transition team replaces him, said: ‘‘Given our presidential inauguration and the immediate demands of the transition, a delegation from Washington will not be attending the Astana conference.’’
Russia and Turkey are holding out higher hopes for these talks than previous rounds, saying that it is the first time negotiations will be led on the rebel side by representatives of fighting groups.
Turkish diplomatic sources said the focus would be on strengthening the current ceasefire as a confidence-building measure.
Bashar Jaafari, the Syrian ambassador to the UN - who has resolutely refused to offer concessions in the past - told reporters yesterday that he was ‘‘engaging in participation in order to further the national interest’’.
The leader of the rebel delegation is Mohammed Alloush, of the Saudi-backed Islamist militia Jaish al-Islam.
The rebels insist that a solution include the end of Bashar al-Assad’s rule.
Nasser al-Hariri, a political adviser to Alloush, said only then would fighters have the confidence to lay down their weapons.
However, few at the talks believe that Assad’s forced departure is an option. Mehmet Simsek, the Turkish deputy prime minister, said last week that it was ‘‘unrealistic’’ to make that a precondition for a settlement.
- The Times President