Russia, West ‘at war’ over who will rebuild Syria

new york — Russia and the West sparred over the reconstruction of Syria on Friday as its military forces continue to capture opposition-held territory and Syrians express hope that the country’s seven-year civil war is nearing an end.

France’s UN Ambassador Francois Delattre made clear at a Security Council meeting that the European Union will not participate in rebuilding Syria “unless a political transition is effectively carried out — with constitutional and electoral processes carried out in a sincere and meaningful way.”

Russia’s deputy UN ambassador Dmitry Polyansky, whose country is militarily backing Syrian President Bashar Assad, countered that reconstruction should not be linked to politics and the international community should join the country’s recovery effort now.

But Western nations are adamant about withholding reconstruction money to maximize pressure for a political transition.

Major powers including the five veto-wielding Security Council nations — the US, Russia, China, Britain and France — agreed on a roadmap for a Syrian political transition at a meeting in Geneva on June 30, 2012, about 16 months after the Syrian conflict began.

The roadmap starts with the establishment of a transitional governing body vested with full executive powers, includes drafting a new constitution, and ends with elections. Successive UN envoys have tried to get the government and opposition to the negotiating table, so far unsuccessfully. The current UN envoy, Staffan de Mistura, is working to establish on a committee to draft a new constitution. —

The EU will not participate in rebuilding Syria “unless a political transition is effectively carried out — with constitutional and electoral processes carried out in a sincere and meaningful way. Francois Delattre,

France envoy to UN