US says it is no longer pursuing Syrian regime change
The US said it was no longer seeking to topple Syrian President Bashar Al Assad as Iran said it hoped to reach an agreement late yesterday with Russia and Turkey on the composition of a new Constitutional Committee in Syria.
“We want to see a regime that is fundamentally different,” James Jeffrey, the US special representative in Syria, told the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington on Monday. “It’s not regime change. We’re not trying to get rid of Assad.”
Mr Jeffrey said the West would not provide funds for rebuilding Syria unless Damascus changed course.
“There is a strong readiness on the part of western nations not to ante up money for that disaster unless we have some kind of idea that the government is ready to compromise, and thus not create yet another horror in the years ahead,” he said.
But Mr Jeffrey acknowledged that the US might not consider Syria an ally any time soon.
“It doesn’t have to be a regime that we Americans would embrace as, say, qualifying to join the EU if the EU took Middle Eastern countries,” he said.
Meanwhile in Geneva, the foreign ministers of Russia, Turkey and Iran yesterday met UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura to try to reach an agreement on a Syria committee that could pave the way to drafting a new constitution and elections.
Attempts to establish a 150-member committee with representatives of the government, opposition and civil society have floundered since the plan was announced at the end of a Russian-sponsored summit in January.
The main sticking point has been the Syrian government’s rejection of a UN list of 50 people, including experts, representatives from society, independents, tribal leaders and women, to serve on the committee.
Damascus has maintained its view that constitutional reform is an internal matter, ruling out any role for the UN.
Russia, Turkey and Iran are drafting a proposal for a third list, Reuters reported.
Arriving at the UN, Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif expressed the hope that the three states would be able to agree to their proposal and gain UN approval.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al Muallem said it was too early to talk about the constitutional committee starting work, state media reported.
Mr Al Muallem blamed attempts at interference by western states for the delay in forming the committee, and obstacles from Turkey.
Syrian authorities have said they were open to amendments to the constitution and that these must be put to a referendum.
Mr de Mistura said at the weekend that the constitutional committee could be a starting point for political progress.
“It does touch, for instance, on presidential powers,” he said. “It could and should be touching on how elections are done, on division of power – in other words, a big issue.”