Syrian Peace talks: NOT a CHANCE now Turkey invaded

[Anthea]

Russia invites Kurds to Syrian people's congress: Kurdish official

Russia has invited the Kurdish-led authorities in northern Syria to its proposed congress of Syria’s rival parties, a senior Kurdish official told Reuters on Tuesday.

The congress would focus on looking for “compromise solutions towards the political settlement” more than six years into Syria’s conflict, a Russian negotiator has said.

“We are studying the issue and our stance has been positive so far,” said Badran Jia Kurd, an adviser to the administration that governs Kurdish-led autonomous regions of northern Syria.

They received the invitation at meetings with Russian officials in northern Syria last month and favor the idea as it strives for a political end to the conflict, he said.

Throughout the war, the main Syrian Kurdish parties have been left out of peace talks at the request of Turkey, which views the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia as a security threat on its border.

Since 2011, the YPG and its allies have carved out cantons in the north and now hold at least a quarter of the country. They have seized much ground by fighting Islamic State militants with the help of the United States.

Moscow, a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has sought to lead diplomatic efforts between various warring Syrian factions over the past year.

Russia may host a congress in mid-November to bring together all of Syria’s groups for national dialogue and work on a new constitution, the RIA news agency said on Monday.

It remains unclear which other groups or combatants in the multi-sided war would take part.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who first mentioned the congress this month, has said it would include “all ethnic and religious groups, and the government, and the opposition”.

The congress may take place at Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi, RIA said.

Russia’s Hmeymim air base in Syria also might be used, said Alexander Lavrentyev, a senior Russian negotiator on Syria. The proposal has received backing from the United Nations, Lavrentyev told reporters in Kazakhstan on Monday.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-midea ... SKBN1D016J

Normally such meetings take place without a Kurdish contingent

Thank you Russia for giving us a voice

[Anthea]

Syria meeting in Russia postponed over Turkey’s objection to Kurds

Russia has postponed a meeting on Syria, which was scheduled to take place on Nov. 18 in the Russian city of Sochi, after Ankara’s objection to the proposed participation of Syrian Kurdish groups, Turkish Presidential Spokesperson İbrahim Kalın said on Nov. 5.

“Following [Turkey’s objection], the Kremlin contacted us and expressed that they had postponed this meeting. This means that as of now, if there are no other changes to be made, this meeting is planned to be held on another date rather than Nov. 18,” Kalın said during an interview on private broadcaster NTV.

Russia announced late last month that a meeting titled “Syrian Congress on National Dialogue” would be held in the Black Sea resort of Sochi on Nov. 18, adding that 33 Syrian groups and political parties, including Kurdish groups and anti-Assad rebel factions, were invited.

Turkey had objected to the invitation of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Democratic Union Party (PYD), which it considers as extensions of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

“It is an imposition. We have immediately conveyed our reaction. It’s unacceptable,” Kalın had told reporters on Nov. 1.

Turkish officials in the last Astana meeting immediately intervened in the invitation and “the problem was resolved,” he had said, adding that Ankara told Moscow “this kind of initiatives will not be welcomed.”

Reiterating Ankara’s objection, Kalın said the announcement of the Congress was “a kind of fait accompli,” as Turkey had asked more information on the content, participants and expected results of the meeting from Russia a week before Astana meeting that was held on Oct. 30-31.

“We are not participating anyway. We may send an observer. But what Russia had said to us is that the meeting has been postponed and the PYD will not be invited,” he added.

He also said President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will travel to Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin, with the details of this meeting “to be announced soon.”

Russia had been planning to launch a new initiative on the Syrian conflict during a two-day meeting in Astana on Nov. 30-31. Moscow had stated that the congress would focus on “compromise solutions” toward ending the six years of conflict.

The initiative of the congress was also criticized for attempting to bypass the U.N.-brokered peace talks to be held in Geneva on Nov. 28.

Military operation to Iraq and Syria

After President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan vowed to “smash any terror camp that is located in Iraq and Syria,” İbrahim Kalın also said “Turkey’s struggle against terror will continue.”

“It may be to Kandil or Syria. We are in a struggle against terror,” Kalın said.

“The U.S. has opened a huge field for the PYD and the YPG under the name of the fight against DEASH,” he added.

Recalling that the PKK and the YPG have their bases and camps in Iraq and Syria, Erdoğan recently said Turkey “could pursue an operation at any moment, as we successfully did in Jarablus and al-Bab line, and again in Idlib.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/syrian ... ion-121931

[Anthea]

Putin, Trump issue joint statement on ISIS, Syrian sovereignty

US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed that they will continue to deconflict anti-ISIS efforts in Syria, while stating that only a political solution can resolve the civil war.

"The Presidents agreed to maintain open military channels of communication between military professionals to help ensure the safety of both U.S. and Russian forces and deconfliction of partnered forces engaged in the fight against ISIS," read the joint statement released by the Kremlin and White House.

Putin and Trump met on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference in Da Nang, Vietnam, on Saturday.

Both countries' militaries are supporting counter-ISIS operations in eastern Deir ez-Zor province. The Americans are backing local groups who allied to form the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

"They confirmed these efforts will be continued until the final defeat of ISIS is achieved," added the joint statement.

Russia has supported the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad whose government has been supported by Hezbollah and Iranian proxies. The United States has said Assad must go to bring an end to the more than six-year-long civil war.

"The Presidents agreed that there is no military solution to the conflict in Syria. They confirmed that the ultimate political solution to the conflict must be forged through the Geneva process pursuant to UNSCR 2254," outlined the joint statement.

The United States ended a covert program that supported Syrian rebels shortly after Trump came into office.

The United States has backed Kurdish groups in the north against ISIS. The same Kurdish groups of the Democratic Union Party (PYD) have also established an enclave of Rojava in the north. They are holding their own confederal elections and establishing self governance.

"The Presidents affirmed their commitment to Syria’s sovereignty, unity, independence, territorial integrity, and non-sectarian character, as defined in UNSCR 2254, and urged all Syrian parties to participate actively in the Geneva political process and to support efforts to ensure its success," added the US-Russian statement.

Trump and Putin last met in July in Hamburg.

"Having a relationship with Russia would be a great thing, especially as it relates to North Korea," Trump told reporters accompanying him on Air Force One. "It would take a lot of danger out of this world. It's a dangerous time — this isn't small stuff."

Trump said he and Putin did not have time to discuss North Korea during their brief conversations.

http://www.rudaw.net/english/world/11112017

[Anthea]

Erdogan, Putin, Rouhani to meet next week on Syria

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is set to meet his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Nov. 22 for the second time in nine days, Turkish broadcaster NTV reported on Thursday.

Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani will also join the talks, on the latest developments in Syria, in the Russian resort city of Sochi.

It will be the seventh time that Erdogan and Putin will have met this year. Their previous one-to-one meeting was held on Nov. 13 for about four hours in Sochi.

According to the Astana agreement brokered in September, Russia, Turkey and Iran are the guarantor countries for the ongoing cease-fire in Syria.

The establishment of “de-escalation zones” and cease-fire monitoring missions have resulted in decreased fighting in northern Syria.

Mete Sohtaoglu, an independent researcher on the Middle East, said he expects another tripartite meeting before the end of the year.

“This tripartite meeting can be seen as a diplomatic move against the military presence and influence of the US in Syria,” Sohtaoglu told Arab News.

“They’re likely to brand the US military as an occupying force, and will ask it to withdraw from the region.”

Sohtaoglu said he expects the guarantor countries to demand that the Syrian Kurds hand areas they control over to Damascus.

“This meeting is also likely to result in the disarming of rebel-held Idlib province in northern Syria via joint diplomatic and military initiatives by Moscow and Ankara,” he said.

“Meanwhile, Iran and Russia will try to disarm the Syrian-Kurdish YPG (People’s Protection Units) in Afrin province.”

Sohtaoglu said what is critical for Ankara is the town of Tal Rifat in Afrin, which is held by the YPG.

Turkey seeks to control arms supplies to the province so as to weaken the militia in northern Syria, he added.

“During the meeting, the trio will also agree on a precise transition calendar for the Assad regime. I assume they’ll tie the end of the regime with elections held under UN supervision,” Sohtaoglu said. Russia and Iran support the Assad regime, while Turkey has backed rebels seeking its ouster.

Dr. Dimitar Bechev, non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center, said the YPG’s fate has been a main reason why Putin and Erdogan have held frequent meetings.

“Erdogan wants to deal with Kurdish-held Afrin. Putin is reluctant to let go of the Syrian Kurds, pressing Ankara to accept their participation in talks on the future of Syria,” Bechev told Arab News.

But he said for a lasting settlement to the conflict, the UN-led Geneva process is still needed, taking into account other regional actors such as Saudi Arabia and Jordan, as well as this week’s US announcement that it will stay in Syria as long as it takes to guarantee a political transition.

In early December, a meeting with about 1,000 participants from various parties to the conflict is expected to be held in Sochi.

Ali Semin, a Middle East expert at Bilgesam, an Istanbul-based think tank, said Ankara seems to have abandoned its initial aim of ousting Bashar Assad.

“Following these two meetings in Sochi, Assad will probably stay in power at least until presidential elections set to be held in 2019,” Semin told Arab News.

“The prime minister will be an opposition figure who is backed by Ankara and is looked upon positively by others,” he said.

“Turkey, Russia and Iran have become power brokers in Syria, while the US aims to use the YPG as a bargaining chip for its regional goals against Russia,” he added. “Washington’s priority now is to strengthen the Syrian-Kurdish presence in northern Syria.”

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1194496/middle-east

[Anthea]

Turkish MHP: Kurds must be excluded from Syria peace talks

Turkey’s opposition Nationalist Movement Party leader urges Russia to exclude the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) in planned Syria peace talks in Sochi early next year.

"If the PYD attends the congress in Sochi as either a party or interlocutor, any talk of territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty rights will lose its meaning and content," Devlet Bahceli said on Tuesday when speaking to his party’s lawmakers as reported by Anadolu Agency.

"The PYD means the PKK, and the PKK means enemy, terrorism, proven traitorousness, and the dishonor which dropped bombs on innocent people,” Bahceli said, referring to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

Bahceli reiterated that his party backs the Syrian National Dialogue Congress to be held in the Russian city of Sochi in February, but stressed Turkey’s opposition to any PYD involvement.

Although the PYD’s attendance at the congress is uncertain, Bahceli added, “Turkey is against it but Russia unfortunately is going along with it.”

Turkey’s objections to Syrian Kurdish groups, however, will not derail new peace efforts, the Kremlin stated on Thursday.

"We know that there are certain reservations on the part of our Turkish partners with regards to the forces they believe pose a threat to their national security," Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesperson, told reporters in Sochi.

"But this does not mean that work will not be conducted.”

Peskov was referring to the latest Syrian peace effort, announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi on Wednesday after meeting with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts.

Putin, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani agreed to hold a Syrian National Dialogue Congress with regime and opposition forces in Sochi.

This congress will “gather representatives of different political parties, internal and external opposition,” Putin said. They would discuss “the parameters of the future state.”

Kurdish forces are the leading group within the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), fighting ISIS alongside the US-led coalition in northern Syria. The SDF now control about a quarter of Syrian territory, yet they have been left out of the Geneva and Astana peace processes.

Elham Ahmed, co-chair of the Syrian Democratic Council, the SDF’s political wing, said on Thursday that leaving the main fighting force out of talks confirms a global unwillingness to resolve the Syrian crisis.

She added that it is impossible for other actors to make decisions about areas under SDF control.

http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/turkey/28112017

[Anthea]

Will Assad and Erdogan swallow their pride and make a deal?

A new post-war Syria may be about to come into being in the wake of the defeat of Islamic State (IS).

The Syrian war has had the unintended effect of internationalising Turkey’s battle against the PKK

On Wednesday Turkey’s President, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, joined Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, and the Iranian President, Hassan Rouhani, in a summit intended to map the way forward and as President Erdoğan put it find “a permanent and acceptable solution for the people of Syria.”

The Sochi prescription

For a country ravaged by years of internecine warfare, the Sochi prescription sounds deceptively easy. A Syrian National Dialogue Conference is, Erdogan said, to be held in Sochi in early December with all moderate parties represented, followed by “free and fair elections”.

Turkey’s main contribution presumably would be to bring moderate Sunni opposition groups to the table. If all that is uncertain, the task of piloting a way out of the blind alley in which Turkey’s Syrian policy seems to be trapped is even more so.

After the violence in Syria broke out in early 2011, Erdogan’s previously good relations with Bashar al-Assad soured and he backed regime change forces and opposition groups. That dream has now receded and Turkey’s goals in Syria have altered drastically.

The Syrian war has had the unintended effect of internationalising Turkey’s battle against the PKK (Kurdistan Worker’s Party). Turkey is waging a war against the movement which it designates as terrorist in its southeastern provinces.

So the overriding imperative for Ankara now in Syria is to end the growing autonomy of the Syrian Kurdish enclaves along its borders run by the PYD (Democratic Union Party), an offshoot of the PKK.

Though Erdogan insisted that the PYD would have to be barred from participating in the forthcoming Sochi conference, for the first time he did not say the same about Assad and the Syrian government.

Dialogue with Assad?

Assad was not at the Wednesday Sochi summit, evidently because of continuing Turkish hostility to him, but he was very much in the picture, having been in Sochi meeting his ally President Putin two days earlier for separate talks and given a very warm welcome.

So could Turkish dialogue with Assad be re-established? Erdogan tantalised the Turkish media by saying though there had been no such meeting as yet, “the doors in politics are always open right up to the final moment”.

The restoration of dialogue of any kind between two bitter enemies would be a remarkable turnaround. However some Turkish commentators close to the Turkey’s ruling party (AKP) are now saying that Assad is no longer Turkey’s chief adversary in Syria.

In their view the enemies are the Kurds and the US which they take to be behind the Kurds.

Ibrahim Karagul, editor of the pro-AKP Yeni Safak, wrote this week: “Turkey should not be obsessed with Assad or the regime, it should have an attitude toward all attempts targeting Syria’s division. Greater threats are targeting the region and Turkey.”

Here the attitudes of the other two countries attending the Sochi summit, Iran and Russia, are critical. Both share Turkey’s desire to see the American role in Syria reduced or better still eliminated, but for them the problem of the Syrian Kurdish enclaves is much less serious, and through contacts with the enclaves, Russia has in effect so far acted as a brake on Turkish attempts to isolate Syrian Kurds.

Is Turkey being boxed into a bad position after being outmaneuvered by its summit partners?

Kurdish cantons

All three governments pay lip service to the idea of preserving Syria’s territorial integrity, something which implies restoring the Kurdish “cantons” to government from Damascus. The question is how that can happen.

One route might perhaps be under a deal between the Syrian government and the PYD, perhaps underwritten by a parallel Russian-American agreement, something that both Kurds and Turks would dislike.

It seems that airstrips in Kurdish-held Syria, notably at Rmeilan, may be gradually replacing Incirlik airbase in Turkey for US regional strategy

The alternative, conceivably, would be a further round of hostilities. President Erdogan talks of an assault to clear the western Kurdish enclave of Afrin and repeatedly warns in the words of a song that “we may turn up suddenly one night”, but that option does not seem on the cards at the moment.

The Syrian Kurdish militia, the YPG (Peoples Protection Units), has a very good fighting record, is well armed, and has dug in to defend itself. Fighting it without air support would be a very risky endeavour. Furthermore the enclaves are protected by their close proximity to United States military units in Syria (Turkey claims that these are stationed at 13 points) and air power.

US in Syria indefinitely

Though the war against IS – the reason why there are US forces in Syria – is drawing to a close, the US Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis said two weeks ago that the US will remain in Syria indefinitely, for “as long as they want to”.

It seems that airstrips in Kurdish-held Syria, notably at Rmeilan, may be gradually replacing Incirlik airbase in Turkey for US regional strategy.

Moreover a bond of intense friendship seems to exist between the YPG and the US forces, making Turkey deeply suspicious of the US’s motives in Syria. On Friday the US President Donald Trump attempted to allay these fears in a telephone conversation with the Turkish president by pledging that the US will not give any more arms to the YPG.

But this only echoed similar earlier assurances by the US to Turkey, which Ankara does not believe. Turkey wants the US to repudiate its alliance with the Syrian Kurds in full. Given this background of ever deepening Turkish distrust of the US, it is easy to see why Turkey drew closer to Russia and Iran at Sochi.

But there is still no sign that the Turks realistically expect Iran or Russia to assist them in suppressing the Kurdish enclaves in Syria. The person who does possess both the necessary means and the motivation for doing so remains Bashar al-Assad.

Assad has both an air force and a clear legal basis for flying anywhere in Syria or permitting others to do so, and is inside the joint Russian-Syrian air defence system.

But it seems unlikely that Assad and Erdogan will be able to swallow their pride and make a deal. Nor is it clear that either the US or Russia would be very averse to seeing a new Kurdish player gradually emerging in the troubled politics of the Middle East.

By David Barchard who has worked in Turkey as a journalist, consultant and university teacher. He writes regularly on Turkish society, politics and history, and is currently finishing a book on the Ottoman Empire in the 19th century.

[Anthea]

Kurds may take part in Sochi ‘show’ but doubt success

A Kurdish delegation from Rojava, northern Syria will likely participate in the latest Syrian peace effort in Sochi, Russia at the end of the month, but are doubtful about how much can be achieved, a senior Kurdish official has stated.

“Yes we are invited and we might take part in the show but it will not succeed,” Aldar Khalil, co-president of the executive body of the Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM), told Reuters.

He questioned how much could be accomplished with many delegates in a two-day conference to resolve the root causes of nearly seven years of civil war that has fractured the country.

TEV-DEM is the governing coalition in Rojava, the Kurdish-dominated self-autonomous enclave in northern Syria. The Democratic Union Party (PYD), the main party within TEV-DEM, has been excluded from the Geneva and Astana processes, at the insistence of Ankara.

Kurdish-led forces, backed by the United States and the global coalition, now control about a quarter of the country after ousting ISIS from Raqqa and areas of Deir ez-Zor province.

Dubbed the Syrian National Dialogue Congress, the meeting in Sochi will take place on January 29 and 30, hosted by Russia with Iran and Turkey.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke with his Turkish and Iranian counterparts separately by phone on Friday to review preparations for the Sochi meeting and options for a political resolution to the Syrian civil war “under UN auspices,” according to the ministry.

While the three are planning the peace conference, Ankara has condemned “intensified attacks” in Idlib province by Syrian forces.

“This only serves to hinder the peace talks,” Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters on Friday, Anadolu reported.

The United Nations reported at least 85 civilian casualties this year so far, partly due to a “rapidly-moving Government offensive” in Idlib, the UN’s human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein said this week.

Russia and Iran are key allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said Assad is a “terrorist” and must go.

Idlib was designated a de-escalation zone by Turkey, Russia, and Iran during the Astana process. Turkish forces have entered the province to establish observation posts in order to monitor a ceasefire in the province and to prevent Kurds from expanding their territory and possibly reaching the Mediterranean.

Ankara conflates Kurdish groups in northern Syria, PYD and the armed YPG, with the PKK, a named terror organization. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said several times that he will not allow a “terror corridor” along Turkey’s border.

Khalil predicted that the Syria conflict will continue until at least the end of Assad’s current presidential term in 2021. “Daesh [ISIS] might expand in other areas, and of course the Turks might try to stir up problems in some areas,” he said.

Saleh Moslem, former leader of the PYD and now a foreign relations official for TEV-DEM, agrees that Turkey’s role will make a difference to peace in the area.

“If Turkey doesn’t attempt any tricks, our area will have more calm,” he told local ANHA news.

Moslem warned Turkey against attacking Kurdish areas in Afrin, just north of Idlib. “The Kurdish people will rise up as a whole. It will be total warfare,” he said.

In the meantime, Khalil told Reuters, the Kurdish-led administration in northern Syria will continue to establish self-rule and will hold the third and final stage of elections at some point in the future.

Local officials announced earlier this month that parliamentary and congressional elections were postponed in order to allow more time to prepare. Khalil said that one reason for the delay was to decide whether or not to hold the vote in areas recently liberated from ISIS.

http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/12012018

[Anthea]

Russian FM: Kurds’ interests must be considered in Syria

The Sochi congress on the Syrian conflict will bring together a more complete representation of the Syrian people, including the Kurds, and will, therefore, expand opportunities for resolving the conflict, Russia’s foreign minister said.

Russia is broadening the circle of participants, bringing in those who have been overlooked in the Geneva process.

“As a result of this congress, we think that the United Nations will thank us, because we will seriously expand their opportunities, expand the circle of participants, so that the constitutional reform and the subsequent rules for holding elections are indeed those that enjoy the support of the entire Syrian people,” and not just those who have attended UN-led peace efforts in Geneva, Minister Sergey Lavrov said during a press conference in Moscow on Monday

Sochi is markedly different from the Geneva and Astana processes in that the ruling Kurdish party in Rojava, (Western Kurdistan) northern Syria will attend, at the invitation of Moscow.

“Kurds are part of the Syrian nation and their interests should be taken into consideration, including in preparation for the [Syrian National Dialogue Congress],” Lavrov said.

Aldar Khalil, co-president of the executive body of the ruling Movement for a Democratic Society (TEV-DEM) in the self-autonomous Kurdish enclave of Rojava, northern Syria, confirmed to Reuters last week that they were invited to the Sochi congress “and we might take part in the show but it will not succeed.”

He questioned how much could be accomplished with many delegates in a two-day conference to resolve the root causes of nearly seven years of civil war that has fractured the country.

The Sochi congress will take place on January 29 and 30, hosted by Russia with Iran and Turkey.

Turkey has objected to the inclusion of the Kurdish party. Ankara insists they are extensions of the PKK, a named terrorist organization. The Syrian Kurdish groups deny the charge.

http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/150120181

[Anthea]

'Last Hope' Syria Peace Talks To Start In Vienna
With reporting by AFP and dpa

Negotiators are set to meet in Vienna on January 25 for a ninth round of UN-sponsored talks aimed at finding a political solution to Syria’s nearly seven-year war.

The UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said on January 24 that the two-day negotiations involving "full” government and opposition delegations come at a "very, very critical moment."

De Mistura is to hold separate meetings with the delegations for talks expected to focus on constitutional issues, after the previous round of talks held in Geneva last month ended without progress.

The UN envoy has placed most of the blame for failure on President Bashar al-Assad's government, which he said demanded that opposition groups accept the possibility of a role for Assad during a political transition in the country.

The next two days will be "a real test for all the sides," Nasr al-Hariri from the Syrian National Coalition (SNC), the main Western-backed political opposition group, said on January 24.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian described the Vienna meetings as the "last hope" for reaching a political solution in Syria, where violence continues to rage in a war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people since it began with a crackdown on protests in 2011.

Turkey is pushing ahead with a cross-border military operation against the Kurdish-run Afrin enclave in northern Syria, while Russian-backed Syrian troops are pressing their offensives against rebel-held strongholds in the northwest region of Idlib and Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus.

Other Talks In Russia

The Vienna talks also come as Russia is planning to host a Syrian "congress of national dialogue" in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi on January 29-30.

Russia, which has received backing from Turkey and Iran for holding the gathering, is accused of seeking to bypass the UN-backed peace process.

"The United Nations has to be put back in the middle of the game. There is no question of letting the Geneva process be hijacked, diverted or bypassed," the AFP news agency quoted a French diplomatic source as saying.

Moscow says the goal of the Sochi talks was to "efficiently" sustain the UN-sponsored talks with concrete "results."

Russia wants to include KURDS

Russia, Iran, and Turkey have been sponsoring parallel peace talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, that led to the establishment of four "de-escalation zones" in Syria last year.

Russia, along with Iran, has given Assad's government crucial support throughout the war, while Turkey and the United States support different rebel groups.

Islamic State fighters entered the war when it captured wide swathes of Syrian territory in 2014, but have lost most of their gains in the face of attacks by government forces and U.S.-backed Arab and Kurdish fighters.

https://www.rferl.org/a/syria-last-hope ... 97798.html

[Anthea]

Syria violence overshadows Russia-hosted talks
By Mehmet Guzel and Sarah El Deeb

Intense clashes erupted Monday on a strategic hilltop in northwestern Syria as Kurdish forces tried to enter the area a day after it was captured by Turkish troops.

Turkish military officials cancelled a government-organized press tour to Bursayah Hill, separating the Kurdish-held enclave of Afrin from the Turkey-controlled town of Azaz, due to what they described as “security concerns.”

Separately, in the nearby rebel-held province of Idlib, suspected Syrian government airstrikes killed at least 21 people and put a hospital out of order.

The violence has overshadowed a peace conference hosted by Russia that was due to open in Sochi on Monday. Russia, a key ally of President Bashar Assad, says it invited 1,600 representatives to the Syrian Congress of National Dialogue, but so far only the government and opposition representatives tolerated by it have shown up. The main Syrian opposition body has boycotted the talks.

The main Syrian Kurdish militia, which is fighting in Afrin and controls some 25 percent of Syrian territory, has also declined to attend, saying it holds Russia responsible for the Turkish offensive.

Alexander Lavrentiev, Russia’s envoy for Syria, downplayed the violence, saying the situation in Afrin has “somehow stabilized” and expressing hope that “potential provocations prior to and during the event won’t affect its outcome.”

“We still hope that common sense will prevail and that the leadership of the united Syrian opposition will still decide to attend the congress. This possibility has not been ruled out, and the invitations remain on the table,” he said, according to Russian state agency Tass.

The Turkish incursion began on Jan. 20, with Ankara saying it seeks to drive “terrorists” away from its border and create a safe zone in the area. Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish militia in control of Afrin, the People’s Defense Units or YPG, an extension of the Kurdish insurgency within its borders.

On Monday, Turkish authorities said they had detained 311 people for allegedly engaging in “terrorist propaganda” through social media postings critical of the Afrin offensive. The Interior Ministry said the suspects, who are accused of supporting the Syrian Kurdish forces, were detained in the past week but did not provide further details.

The Paris-based media watchdog Reporters Without Borders called the detentions a government “witch hunt against critics.”

Turkish troops and allied Syrian forces have met with stiff resistance as they try to push into Afrin, and the capture of Bursayah Hill marked their biggest advance since the start of the offensive. The operation has so far claimed the lives of 61 civilians in Afrin, three in Turkish towns along the border and five Turkish soldiers, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Turkish-led offensive has opened a new front in the civil war, which is far from over despite recent gains by Assad’s forces and the expulsion of the Islamic State group from nearly all the territory it once held.

The government is now focused on the northwestern province of Idlib, which is dominated by al-Qaida-linked militants and home to more than 2.6 million people, nearly half of whom have fled from other areas.

Volunteer first responders known as the White Helmets say the airstrikes on Monday hit the province’s largest vegetable market, in the town of Saraqeb. The Qasioun news agency, which covers events in opposition-held areas, said 14 people were killed. The Observatory, an opposition-linked group that monitors all sides of the conflict, also said 14 were killed, including six children.

Another two people, including a child, were killed in the attack on the hospital.

The activist-run Edlib Media Center posted photographs of the exterior of the damaged building. Videos of rescuers sifting through the rubble showed them emerging with a survivor, apparently a medic. Mohammed Abrash, a doctor in Idlib city, said the only hospital in Saraqeb was now out of order.

The government appears to have stepped up its bombing campaign in Idlib in recent days. The Observatory reported 90 airstrikes in Idlib on Monday alone, killing a total of 21 people. It said airstrikes on Sunday killed 17.

Sandy al-Obeid, a resident of Saraqeb, said she heard the attack on the market from her home and could see the plane from her window.

“When I finally fell asleep, I dreamt there were airstrikes and we were hiding. It turned out there were airstrikes. But now nightmares are confused with reality,” al-Obeid said in a series of text messages.

Near the capital, Damascus, activists reported government shelling of Harasta, in the rebel-held suburbs known as eastern Ghouta. Fighting has raged in the area over the last few days despite a cease-fire negotiated between Russia and the opposition.

Russia’s Defense Ministry on Monday called on the Syrian government to hold talks with the rebels in eastern Ghouta to allow for medical evacuations.

“A cessation of hostilities is the only chance and the only condition for political settlement in eastern Ghouta and in Syria on the whole,” it said.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/mi ... de0e77bc8c

[Anthea]

Sochi congress presses on through boycotts, heckles

Russia’s Sochi congress was perhaps marred by more problems than progress, getting underway late and without the main opposition group or Kurdish representatives. The meeting concluded with an agreement to form a committee to discuss a post-war constitution, Russian media reported.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov opened the Syrian National Dialogue Congress on Tuesday, reading a statement from Vladimir Putin.

The Russian president called on participants and sponsors to support "the restoration of a lasting peace and stability in Syria and to strengthen its sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity.”

"We can say with confidence that conditions have been created for turning this tragic page in Syria's history," he added.

The meeting has been held at Russia’s Black Sea resort in Sochi, bringing together 1,600 delegates for two days of talks that were meant to complement UN-led peace efforts.

The congress did not run smoothly, however. It was initially scheduled to begin on Monday, but was delayed a day in the hopes that Russia would convince absent warring factions to attend.

Lavrov’s opening speech on was also delayed after a Turkey-backed rebel group refused to leave the airport where they saw the Syrian regime flag highlighted on posters and billboards.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu had two separate phone calls with Russian officials to help resolve the issue, according to Hurriyet Daily News. The hosts promised to address their concerns.

Cavusoglu also asked for an explanation from Russia after Mihrac Ural, the leader of a pro-Syrian militia who Turkey considers a terrorist, was spotted at the congress, reported Anadolu Agency.

Lavrov’s speech was then interrupted by hecklers.

"In view of the unprecedented nature of this meeting, which is being attended by representatives of so many ethnic, social and political groups of Syrian society," said the Russian foreign minister, "it is, of course, important to start by building mutual trust and our ability to work together."

That “mutual trust” seemed a distant prospect, however.

While he was extending thanks to the participants, Lavrov was interrupted multiple times by angry Syrian delegates and others crying "Long live Russia."

The Syrian Negotiation Commission (SNC) declined to attend the congress, citing no practical solution towards halting military operations in Syria, according to AFP.

Syrian Kurds also boycotted the event, saying it was “meaningless” after Russia did not oppose Turkey’s military offensive in Afrin.

The United States said on Monday that they would not attend Sochi as an observer.

Staffan de Mistura, UN's Syria peace negotiator, arrived on Monday, despite doubt of his attendance.

The Sochi congress was co-sponsored by Iran and Turkey.

One aim of the meeting was to make progress on a post-war constitution for Syria. Lavrov said that they reached an agreement to create a constitutional committee to work with the UN-led Geneva process, according to Russia’s Tass news. Groups who did not attend the congress will be included in the committee.

Mistura commended the effort.

"You did work hard today. You concluded that a Constitutional Committee should at the very least comprise the Government, Opposition representatives in the intra-Syrian talks in Geneva, Syrian experts, civil society, independents, tribal leaders and women - and women. You have also concluded that care would be taken to ensure adequate representation of Syria’s ethnical and religious leaders - and we have seen many here today," he said in comments at the conclusion of the congress.

He said he would carry out consultations with an eye towards establishing the committee, calling it a "delicate exercise."

http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/syria/300120182

[Anthea]

Rocky Syria talks end in Russia, ignore key opposition demands
By Kinda Makieh and Maria Tsvetkova

SOCHI, Russia (Reuters):

A Syrian peace conference in Russia ended on Tuesday with a statement calling for democratic elections but ignoring key opposition demands after a day marred by squabbles and heckling of the Russian foreign minister.

The participants also agreed to set up a committee to rewrite the Syrian constitution at the conference, which much of the opposition said aimed to serve the interests of President Bashar al-Assad and his close ally, Moscow.

A final statement said Syrians must decide their future through elections, but did not say whether Syrian refugees would be allowed to take part, something sought by Assad's opponents and Western states. Syrians had the "exclusive right" to pick their political system free of foreign intervention, it added.

It also urged the preservation of security forces without calling for their reform, something the opposition has demanded.

"This conference is tailor-made for Assad and his terrorist regime," said Mustafa Sejari, a senior official in a Free Syrian Army (FSA) rebel group that operates in northern Syria.

"The Sochi statement does not concern us and is not even a subject of discussion."

Russia hosted what it called a Syrian Congress of National Dialogue in the Black Sea resort of Sochi. After helping turn the tide of the war in Syria in Assad's favor, Moscow has cast itself as a Middle East peace broker.

However, the event was boycotted by the leadership of the Syrian opposition, while powers such as the United States, Britain and France stayed away because of what they said was the Syrian government's refusal to properly engage.

Western countries support a separate U.N.-mediated peace process, which has so far failed to yield progress towards ending a war that is entering its eighth year. The latest round of those talks took place in Vienna last week.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov helped open the conference on Tuesday by reading out a statement from President Vladimir Putin saying the conditions were ripe for Syria to turn "a tragic page" in its historyFLAG ROW.

But some delegates stood up and began heckling him, accusing Moscow of killing civilians in Syria with its air strikes.

The incident was broadcast on Russian state TV where two security guards were shown approaching one man in the audience indicating that he should sit down.

Other delegates shouted out their support for Russia.

FLAG ROW

In a further setback, one group of delegates, which included members of the armed opposition who had flown in from Turkey, refused to leave Sochi airport until Syrian government flags and emblems - which they said were offensive - had been removed.

Ahmed Tomah, the head of the delegation, said his group had boycotted the congress and would fly back to Turkey because of the flag row and what he called broken promises to end the bombardment of civilians.

"We were surprised that none of the promises that were given had been kept, the ferocious bombing of civilians had not stopped. Nor were the flags and banners of the regime removed," he said in a video recorded at the airport.

Artyom Kozhin, a senior diplomat at the Russian Foreign Ministry, acknowledged there had been some complications.

"Some problems have arisen with a group of the armed opposition that has come from Turkey which has made its participation dependent on additional demands," Kozhin wrote on social media.

Lavrov had spoken by phone twice to his Turkish counterpart and been told that the problem would be resolved, said Kozhin.

Turkish and Iranian government delegations attended the congress, as did U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura who said the talks had been difficult.

Vitaly Naumkin, a Russian expert on the Middle East who serves as an adviser to de Mistura, told reporters the problems encountered by organizers had not tarnished the event.

"Nothing awful happened," said Naumkin. "Nobody is fighting anyone else. Nobody is killing anyone. These were standard working moments."

(Additional reporting by Tom Perry and Dahlia Nehme in Beirut, Tulay Karadeniz in Ankara, Tom Miles in Geneva, and Suleiman Al-Khalidi in Amman; Writing by Andrew Osborn; Editing by Peter Graff and Gareth Jones)

https://www.yahoo.com/news/rocky-start- ... 59153.html

[Anthea]

Russian-backed peace talks endorse path for Syria
but opposition and Kurds stay away

Russia launched a new effort Tuesday to resolve Syria’s war, but the county’s opposition fears the effort will eclipse or even replace the existing U.N. peace process backed by the United States and its Western allies.

Hundreds of delegates gathered in the Black Sea resort of Sochi for what Russia, a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, had billed as a congress of national dialogue aimed at opening negotiations to draft a new constitution for Syria after almost seven years of war.

It was a high-stakes affair for Russia, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov addressing hundreds of largely pro-Syrian government delegates, and U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura in attendance, too.

But most key Syrian opposition figures and Kurdish representatives stayed away, citing concerns that Russia was trying to fashion a new solution without heeding their concerns.

A closing statement obtained by the Reuters news agency said the participants agreed on “basic principles” deemed essential for bringing the country together and endorsed a “democratic” path for the country through elections.

But diplomats and analysts said the statement’s impact was diminished without the participation of the opposition and Kurdish representatives.

More than 1,000 people were invited to the event, which, unlike a separate and stuttering U.N.-backed process that hosts only the government and opposition, was meant to offer a seat at the table to Kurdish delegates.

A primarily Kurdish militia known as the Syrian Democratic Forces has largely defeated the Islamic State with U.S. support and now holds swaths of the country that amount to roughly the size of Indiana.

“It’s hard for them to announce anything of consequence, because they don’t have everyone here that matters,” said Neil Hauer, an independent analyst monitoring Russian activity in Syria’s conflict, speaking from Sochi.

Russia is eager to end the fighting on terms that will validate its 2015 military intervention without any more costly entanglements.

It was unclear whether the assembly made any progress toward an workable settlement to the war. But Russia did appear to inch closer to its goal of a securing a U.N. stamp of approval for its own peace process.

“You did work hard today,” Mistura said in a statement.

The conference’s opening was mired in confusion as a handful of opposition delegates refused to leave Sochi airport after arriving on a last-minute flight. They cited the presence of flags associated with Assad’s government, poor treatment by the Russians and the ongoing bombardment of a rebel-held region in Syria.

Lavrov told assembled delegates that the time had come “to end the painful page in history of the Syrian people.”

“There is a dire need for a comprehensive Syrian dialogue for the sake of a comprehensive deal for the Syrian crisis,” he said, adding that “only the Syrian people have the right to determine their future.”

Those sentiments met with broad approval in the conference hall, where most participants appeared to be supporters of Assad’s government.

Western diplomats described the event as a broadly positive step in a wider Russian plan to end the war, which has cost Moscow billions of dollars.

“There’s an element of this that is definitely for Russian domestic consumption, but the Russians have also consistently been saying they do want to find a way forward in terms of a political process that can eventually bring peace, while underlining their role in Syria as a big player,” said one Western official who spoke on the condition of anonymity, citing a lack of authorization to discuss the matter publicly.

Zakaria Zakaria in Istanbul, Heba Habib in Stockholm and Suzan Haidamous in Beirut contributed to this report.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/mi ... 2077fc614f

[Anthea]

Russian-backed peace talks endorse path for Syria
but opposition and Kurds stay away

Russia launched a new effort Tuesday to resolve Syria’s war, but Syria’s opposition fears the effort will eclipse or even replace the existing U.N. peace process backed by the United States and its Western allies.

Hundreds of delegates gathered in the Black Sea resort of Sochi for what Russia, a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, had billed as a congress of national dialogue aimed at opening negotiations to draft a new constitution for Syria after almost seven years of war.

It was a high-stakes affair for Russia, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov addressing hundreds of largely pro-Syrian government delegates, and U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura in attendance, too.

But most key Syrian opposition figures and Kurdish representatives stayed away, citing concerns that Russia was trying to fashion a new solution without heeding their concerns.

Where is the logic in that? How can anyone take heed of Kurds' concerns if Kurds themselves refuse to attend the meetings and voice those concerns. Kurds need some new leaders - ones with brains

A closing statement obtained by The Washington Post said the participants agreed on a set of principles for resolving the conflict that include “full commitment to the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and unity of the Syrian Arab Republic” and “full commitment to Syria’s national sovereign equality.”

But diplomats and analysts said the statement’s impact was diminished without the participation of the opposition and Kurdish representatives.

More than 1,000 people were invited to the event, which, unlike a separate and stuttering U.N.-backed process that hosts only the government and opposition, was meant to offer a seat at the table to Kurdish delegates.

A primarily Kurdish militia known as the Syrian Democratic Forces has largely defeated the Islamic State with U.S. support and now holds swaths of the country that amount to roughly the size of Indiana.

“It’s hard for them to announce anything of consequence, because they don’t have everyone here that matters,” said Neil Hauer, an independent analyst monitoring Russian activity in Syria’s conflict, speaking from Sochi.

Russia is eager to end the fighting on terms that will validate its 2015 military intervention without any more costly entanglements.

It was unclear whether the assembly made any progress toward a workable settlement to the war. De Mistura congratulated the group for its commitment to principles for a settlement that he said are in line with the existing — and largely dormant — U.N.-directed approach. “Your agreement is intended as a contribution . . . to the political settlement under U.N. auspices,” the U.N. envoy said, adding that he will quickly follow up with a schedule for “constitution drafting” under the U.N. process based in Geneva. “This way a constitutional committee can really and concretely be established and begin to work,” he told the gathering.

The conference’s opening was mired in confusion as a handful of opposition delegates refused to leave the Sochi airport after arriving on a last-minute flight. They cited the presence of flags associated with Assad’s government, poor treatment by the Russians and the ongoing bombardment of a rebel-held region in Syria.

Lavrov told assembled delegates that the time had come “to end the painful page in history of the Syrian people.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/mi ... 12d5abab9b

[Anthea]

National Dialogue Congress, Olive Branch Operation and
Unpredictable Developments in Syria — Valdai Club
Konstantin Truevtsev

The current development of the situation in Syria is marked by two events. The first is the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi, the second is the Turkish "Olive Branch" military operation against the Syrian Kurds in the Afrin canton.

Is it possible to evaluate both events and are there any interconnections between them? I think that the answer will be positive.

As to the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Sochi, it can be seen as a serious and far-reaching attempt to convert the military successes of Syrian government and its allies into a political process. As to the military successes that predetermined the possibility to hold the Congress, this means the defeat of ISIS as a systemic, quasi-state phenomenon and a serious victory over the Al-Nusra front at the junction of the Idlib, Hama and Aleppo provinces. These successes significantly narrowed the base of the terrorist forces in Syria and gave rise to serious hopes for the final disengagement of the opposition (including the armed one) from the terrorist forces. The result was the possibility to hold an unprecedentedly wide dialogue between representatives of the government, civil society and various groups of the opposition inside and outside the country. Properly this fact can be regarded as a certain success.

Among the successes of the Congress, of course, is the creation of a commission to draft a new constitution, which includes representatives of various opposition forces. However, the process of elaborating a new fundamental law is difficult and will not be quick. But what has become obvious now is the determination of the overwhelming majority of members of the Congress to put an end to armed confrontation and make efforts to transform the situation into a political process.

Another obvious feature of what happened during the Congress is the division within the ranks of the opposition between those who are interested in the common future of Syria (even if they waged an armed struggle for a different result) and those, whose political ambitions outweighed everything else. The latter were members of the delegation of the National Committee of the Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, who left Sochi, having entrusted their representation to the delegation of Turkey. But they risk to become marginalized, and the question of the importance of their further representation in the negotiations in Geneva may arise.

The "Olive Branch" military operation is clearly in sharp contrast to the Congress. It is an element of military escalation in the territory of Syria, even of a local nature. Although the beginning of this operation did not undermine the Congress, but it significantly reduced the share of the Kurdish representation, and thereby diminished the importance of the Kurdish issue during this forum.

Meanwhile, the Kurdish issue is becoming more and more acute. And now it is obvious, that it cannot be considered outside the context of the foreign troops presence in Syria.

It happened so that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), where the Kurds initially constituted an absolute majority, were forced to rely on the support of the US-led coalition because Russia under strong Turkey's pressure was deprived of the possibility to provide them an effective assistance. Now the SDF controls at least a quarter of the country's territory, but in their composition in the provinces of Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor the Kurds no longer prevail, but the Sunni tribes of the Euphrates valley. The presence in their territory of the NATO armed forces is a factor that threatens the territorial integrity of the country.

Another threat of today, unfortunately, is Turkey, which by the way, is still a NATO member. In this context, how to interpret President Recep Erdogan’ statements that the borders of Turkey are not final and can be revised? And where is the guarantee that during the ongoing consultations between Turkey and the United States these two NATO countries will not agree on the occupation of the entire territory of northern and northeastern Syria?

In this regard, the issue of direct negotiations between the government of Syria and the Kurds is becoming one of the central issues. Properly a consensus between them would be the main guarantee against unpredictable developments.

http://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/nati ... peration-/

For a brief time, Western Kurdistan had the support and indeed the encouragement of the then Syrian government, who supported and encouraged Kurds (especially intellectual Kurds) wishing to form an autonomous state in the north of Syria.

A great many intellectuals left the seat of learning - Damascus - to join with their brothers in the north - probably why Western Kurdistan has such a high number of intellectuals, philosophers and poets.