Geneva: US & Russia intensify drive for settlement

[Anthea]

The Hill

The United States and Russia agreed Monday to a ceasefire in Syria that is scheduled to take effect Saturday.

“I am gratified to see the final arrangements concluded today for a cessation of hostilities in Syria and call on all parties to accept and fully comply with its terms,” Secretary of State John Kerry said in a statement. “If implemented and adhered to, this cessation will not only lead to a decline in violence, but also continue to expand the delivery of urgently needed humanitarian supplies to besieged areas and support a political transition to a government that is responsive to the desires of the Syrian people.”

In a joint statement Monday, the United States and Russia said officials from the two countries will lead a United Nations task force to enforce the ceasefire and work on mechanisms to monitor compliance.

“To achieve this goal and to promote an effective and sustainable cessation of hostilities, the Russian Federation and the United States will establish a communication hotline and, if necessary and appropriate, a working group to exchange relevant information after the cessation of hostilities has gone into effect,” the statement says.

The Syrian regime and opposition groups now have until noon Friday to agree to the terms of the ceasefire.

Under the agreement, both sides would have to stop seeking more territory, allow humanitarian aid to pass through controlled areas, only use “proportionate” force in self-defense and work to release detainees, particularly women and children.

Regime and Russian forces would have to stop airstrikes against opposition groups that the United States and Russia confirm are parties to the agreement.

And opposition forces would have to stop using rockets, mortars, anti-tank guided missiles and other weapons to attack regime forces.

The agreement comes after a self-imposed deadline to implement a ceasefire by last Friday passed with little progress.

The United States and Russia had agreed to a cessation of hostilities earlier this month with a goal of implementing the ceasefire within a week. But Russia continued its military campaign in support of Syrian President Bashar Assad, bombarding opposition groups in northern Syria.

The agreement announced Monday does not apply to airstrikes against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate al Nusra or other U.N.-designated terrorist groups, according to the statement.

The task force will work on delineating the territory held by ISIS, al Nusra and other terrorist groups, facilitate communications among all parties to promote compliance and rapidly de-escalate tensions, resolve allegations of non-compliance and refer persistent non-compliant behavior to the ministers of the so-called International Syrian Support Group.

“We are all aware of the significant challenges ahead,” Kerry said in his statement. “Over the coming days, we will be working to secure commitments from key parties that they will abide by the terms of this cessation of hostilities and further develop modalities for monitoring and enforcement.”

http://thehill.com/policy/defense/27028 ... e-in-syria

[Anthea]

BBC News

Syria conflict: Warring parties accept US-Russia truce plan

The Syrian government and the main opposition umbrella group say they accept the terms of a deal to cease hostilities from Saturday.

The government said it would halt "combat operations" in line with the plan announced by the US and Russia.

But the opposition said its acceptance depended on government forces ending sieges and air strikes of civilians.

The deal will not apply to the two main jihadist groups in Syria, Islamic State (IS) and the rival al-Nusra Front.

Al-Nusra is an affiliate of al-Qaeda and forms part of a major rebel alliance that controls large parts of the country's north-west.

More than 250,000 people have died in almost five years of war in Syria.

Eleven million others have fled their homes as forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and those opposed to his rule battle each other, as well as IS militants.
'Right to respond'

Under the terms of the agreement announced by the US and Russia on Monday, the Syrian government and opposition were required to indicate by noon on Friday (10:00 GMT) whether they would comply with the cessation of hostilities.

The High Negotiation Committee (HNC), which represents most of the main opposition and rebel factions, issued a statement after a meeting in Saudi Arabia saying it was "committed to the success of the international efforts dedicated to ending Syrian bloodshed".

But it warned that "acceptance of the truce is conditional'' on the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 2254, which calls on all parties to lift sieges, allow aid deliveries, halt aerial and artillery attacks on civilians, and release detainees.

The Syrian government later declared "its acceptance of a halt to combat operations on the basis of continuing military efforts to combat terrorism".

It added that it would work with Russia, which has conducted air strikes against Mr Assad's opponents since September, to identify areas and armed groups that were covered and reserved the right to "respond to any breach by these groups ".

Link to Full Article:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-35639970

[Anthea]

Kurds insist on their participation in Geneva talks on Syria

MOSCOW, February 29. /TASS/. It is impossible to achieve success at the intra-Syrian talks that are due to resume in Geneva on March 7 without Kurds’ participation, representative of the Kurdistan National Congress in Russia Selahattin Soro told TASS on Monday.

"The Syrian Kurds have raised the issue of their participation in the intra-Syrian talks and are waiting for a decision from Russia and the United States," he said. "We handed over to Russia a list of possible participants in the March 7 talks in Geneva. It includes 15 representatives of the Syrian Kurdistan who favor a peaceful solution to the Syrian crisis."

According to Soro, the Kurds welcome the Syrian ceasefire agreement that came into force overnight on February 27. "We are committed to resolving the Syrian crisis peacefully," he said. "The Kurds are one of the forces speaking out in favor of democracy and protecting the rights of ethnic groups. We are opposed to Syria’s territorial breakup and outside interference in Syrian internal affairs. If the Kurds do not take part in these talks, the problem will not be solved."

For his part, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said earlier on Monday that the intra-Syrian talks would be flawed without Kurds’ participation and that Moscow hoped its partners would revise their positions on this matter. "We have always said and are saying that the situation will be flawed without due account of the Kurdish factor and without their representation at the talks that are called to launch the political settlement process," the Russian diplomat said.

http://tass.ru/en/world/859729

[Anthea]

Kurds Receive No Official Invitation to Join Next Syria Peace Talks

Syrian Kurds have received no official invitation to join the next round of Syrian peace talks, set to begin on March 9, despite a promise made by the countries organizing the negotiations, the head of the Syrian Kurds’ representative office in Moscow said Thursday.

Rodi Osman said that the negotiations should be open not only to Kurds, but to others as well.

"Many parties and countries involved in the process, gave us a promise that the Kurds would be invited to the negotiations. But we still have not received an official invitation… We are in talks with many of the great powers involved in the organization of the intra-Syrian talks, we are demanding that we be given access to the negotiations," Osman told RIA Novosti.

Link to Full Article:

http://sputniknews.com/politics/2016030 ... talks.html

[Anthea]

NRT

New round of Syria peace talks set to start on 14 March

The next round of substantive Syria peace talks is due begin on March 14, U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura said on Wednesday (March 9).

The talks are set to focus on issues of Syria's future governance, elections within 18 months, and a new constitution.

The talks will coincide with the fifth anniversary of a conflict that began with protests against President Bashar al-Assad before descending into a multi-sided war that has drawn in foreign governments and allowed the growth of the Islamic State (IS).

The opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) has yet to declare whether it will attend. HNC spokesman Salem al-Muslat said it was positive that the talks would "start ... with discussion of the matter of political transition".

The Syrian government, its position strengthened by more than five months of Russian air strikes, has also yet to say whether it will attend.

De Mistura attempted to convene peace talks in January, but these failed before they had even started in earnest.

The new effort follows the implementation of a partial truce a week ago, though fighting continues in many parts of Syria as it does not include the IS and Nusra Front groups.

U.N. organizations have used the partial lull in fighting to deliver food and medical supplies to besieged areas.

The five-year Syrian civil war has killed more than a quarter of a million people and created a massive refugee crisis for Lebanon, Turkey and the European Union.

A delve into the timeline of the conflict shows this latest effort will be one of many attempts to quell the violence.

Assad's security crackdown transformed Syria's largely peaceful protest movement in March 2011 into an armed insurgency in the first year of the revolt, and since then opposition formations have been increasingly overtaken by Islamist groups, notably IS and the Nursa Front.

In five years, 250,000 Syrians have been killed and a refugee crisis created in the country's neighbors and into Europe.

A U.S.-led coalition is trying to destroy IS militants in Syria and wants President Bashar al-Assad to go.

But Russia and Iran are propping up Assad and oppose the opponents of Assad who are being supported by the West its Arab allies such as Saudi Arabia.

http://www.nrttv.com/EN/Details.aspx?Jimare=5769

[Anthea]

GENEVA (Sputnik)

Russia hopes that common sense will prevail and UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura will invite Syrian Kurds to the peace talks in Geneva, Russian UN Envoy in Geneva Alexei Borodavkin said.

According to Borodavkin, Russia hopes that “common sense and logic in the negotiations will force the EU Special Envoy’s office to make the right decision and the Kurds will be represented in the dialogue.”

“Russia and a range of other countries from the [International Syria Support Group] believe that Syrian Kurds should participate in the negotiations. This is our principle position,” Borodavkin said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

Ankara views Kurdish self-defense forces in northern Syria and Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) separatists in southeastern Turkey as terrorist organizations. It actively opposes any Syrian Kurds' participation in political settlement talks.

Representatives from Syria’s internal opposition will participate in the current round of reconciliation talks in Geneva that will begin on March 14, Alexei Borodavkin said.

“These are the opposition figures who gathered at the conferences in Moscow and Cairo and the group that consolidated during the conference in Riyadh. Some other representatives from the internal opposition who are in Damascus will also need to be added. By the way, they are invited and will be participating in the negotiations in Geneva.”

http://sputniknews.com/politics/2016031 ... kurds.html

[Anthea]

Reuters

Syrians see few prospects for peace from Geneva talks

As peace talks are set to get under way in Geneva next week, residents in Syria from nurses to street vendors voice little optimism over the United Nations-backed negotiations’ chance of success.

The Geneva talks will coincide with the fifth anniversary of a conflict that began with protests against President Bashar al-Assad before descending into a multi-sided war that has drawn in foreign governments and allowed the growth of Islamic State.

Fighting has slowed considerably since a fragile "cessation of hostilities agreement" brokered by the United States and Russia came into force almost two weeks ago. The agreement, accepted by the government and most of its enemies, is the first truce of its kind in a war that has killed more than 250,000 people and driven millions of Syrians from their homes.

"The truce has not changed anything in my life. The war planes are still hovering above us,” says Abdul Razzaq Khashan, 40, an aid worker in rebel-held Idlib province. “I do not expect anything from the Geneva talks.”

The truce does not include Islamic State or the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front. Nusra Front’s fighters are deployed in western Syria, close to rebel groups that have agreed to the halt in fighting, and there have been accusations of violations by all sides.

"The peace talks will take away Syrian people's rights to freedom and justice and will give the Assad regime more power," says Ali Abdullah, 33, a nurse in Dakkak hospital in the northern city of Aleppo. The truce, however, has had a positive impact on his work as a nurse. "I’m glad not to see more injured children.”

Not everyone in Syria shares that pessimism about the possible outcome in Geneva.

"As a university student, I can go three times a week to attend classes now, instead of once before the truce," says Borhan, a cosmetics vendor in the capital Damascus. "I do not know the outcome (in Geneva) but I am optimistic," he says, adding that he is hopeful that the end of the war is close.

Wael, a mobile phone vendor, also in Damascus, says the truce has given him psychological stability, but adds that he expects the war to last 10 years.

"I am not optimistic (about Geneva) because of the opposition's actions," he says, adding that he predicts that the war will last for about ten years.

“The opposition needs to be removed like gangrene,” he says.

An Idlib resident says the talks in Switzerland will come to nothing while Assad remains in place.

“I am against the truce completely because it did not change anything in the pattern of my daily life,” says Abdul Karim Ismail, 58, who works in water transportation. “The Geneva talks will not lead to any result as long as Assad is still in power because he is the root cause of the war in Syria.”

Western states have said the cessation of hostilities appears to be largely holding, hoping that will allow for the talks to get underway. A previous attempt to convene talks was aborted in February before any face-to-face meetings took place.

“I hope Geneva peace talks will make a difference,” says Abu Khair, who sells freshly made fruit juice from a street stall in Damascus.

“I hope to God, I hope to God.”

http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-mideas ... KKCN0WD29F

[Anthea]

RT

Lavrov: Kurds must be invited to Geneva peace talks to preserve Syria’s integrity

Moscow strongly insists that the Kurds be invited to the the upcoming Syrian peace talks in Geneva, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, suggesting that leaving them out could endanger Syria’s territorial integrity.

“If the Kurds are ‘thrown out’ of the negotiations on Syria’s future, how can you expect them to want to remain within this state?” Lavrov said in an interview with Russian REN TV channel aired on Sunday.

“We believe that the process, which starts in Geneva, must necessarily include the Kurds, if we all mean what we say in declaring our commitment to Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”

The minister also stressed that Russia will press the UN not to “surrender to ‘ultimatums’ and invite the Kurds to the table of the negotiation process right from the start.”

In mentioning ultimatums, Lavrov was apparently pointing a finger at Turkey, which strongly opposes the Kurds’ involvement in the Syrian peace process, despite them being one of the most successful forces fighting Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) in Syria, along with the Syrian army.

According to the minister, while opposing the advances of the Kurdish forces, Ankara itself has been setting up certain zones of control within Syria.

“While demanding that the Kurds be prevented from consolidating their positions in Syria, Turkey meanwhile has started to declare its sovereign right to create some sort of security zones on Syrian territory. According to our information, they have been ‘entrenching’ inside Syria just a few hundred meters from the border,” Russia’s top diplomat said.

Lavrov stressed that Russia is ready to actively cooperate with the US-led coalition in fighting IS militants in Syria, noting that the US has finally come to understand the need for not only an exchange of information, but also a coordination of actions.

“The United States understands that it is necessary not just to communicate with each other so as not to shoot down each other’s jets, but also to coordinate our actions in combatting terrorism,” he said.

Russia’s FM talked a great deal about US-Russian relations, noting that there had been much controversy lately, which has been exacerbated by the “immature stance” of some of his US colleagues.

“There is always a direct emergency communication channel between Moscow and Washington… But at times we hear certain statements coming from official Pentagon representatives claiming that there is no coordination with Russia.”

Commenting on the current refugee crisis in Europe, Lavrov expressed hope that the EU would learn something from the current situation.

“There was hubris, a condescending tone, coming from Europe, that their human rights record is perfectly fine, that they should not be subject to discussions at the UN or the Council of Europe, that they can handle it on their own,” he said.

“Now the migration crisis has shown what their solidarity is worth, not in the ‘fat years,’ but when trouble comes – and that is ‘every man for himself.’”

The minister also noted that many Western officials, and especially NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, have been “shamefully” accusing Russia of being “the reason behind the escalation of the migrant crisis.”

He pointed out, however, that the roots of the current situation lie in the past, beginning with when Libya was bombed and turned into a channel for illegally smuggling migrants from Africa, Iraq, and Afghanistan into Europe.

https://www.rt.com/news/335470-lavrov-k ... ia-turkey/

[Anthea]

ARA News

Major Syrian Kurdish faction not invited to Geneva talks
Reporting by: Wladimir van Wilgenburg

The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura has said that Syria’s Kurds would not be invited to the upcoming week’s peace talks in Geneva. The Kurdish National Council (KNC) protested his statement, saying only the Kurdish PYD party is not invited.

While the Democratic Union Party (PYD) is not invited, the KNC that is part of the Turkey-backed Syrian Coalition is. This despite the fact that the Syrian Coalition does not accept federalism in Syria.

“We hope that the UN will recognize the Kurdish representatives amongst the invited groups for the Geneva peace talks and their contribution to a peaceful solution for our country,” Siamand Hajo from KNC’s foreign relation office told ARA News.

“We demand the removal of Assad and an open discussion about the constitution of a future Syria that provides for social justice, democratic participation and human rights,” he stated.

“It is essential to maintain the unity of Syria which can best be realized by the implementation of a federal system. Besides we stress that the UN should not equate an entire ethnic group with one political party,” Hajo added.

Speaking to ARA News, head of the KNC Ibrahim Biro said that the Western media mistaken the PYD to represent all Kurds. “We as KNC are ready for Geneva, and asked the office of de Mistura for clarification.”

However, Sherzad Yazidi, the representative of the PYD-led canton administrations in Syria, disagrees with the KNC.

“Those [KNC] people in Geneva, they are not the real representatives of the Kurds,” Yazidi told ARA News.

“Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia are against us, because we are a democratic movement. The representatives of the Kurds are clearly the PYD and they fight against ISIS, why are they not involved in Geneva? Any solution cannot be reached without the Kurds [PYD].”

The US state department on Friday confirmed that the PYD is not invited to the talks, despite the fact the People’s Protection Units (YPG), affiliated to the PYD, is the most effective force against the Islamic State, also known as ISIS.

“And so as we understand it, as the invitations went out they didn’t include the PYD, similar to the last round of talks. That doesn’t mean we won’t have consultations with them going forward,” US State Department spokesman John Kirby said Friday.

“(…) I have said they have been effective going after Daesh (ISIS) inside Syria. And we respect that, but this is a different process than the fight against Daesh,” Kirby stated.

“This is a political process moving forward to try to end the civil war,” said Kirby. “It doesn’t mean that at some point in the future they won’t be – it won’t be more inclusive in that regard. We’re just going to have to see how it goes,” he added.

Analysts suggest that Turkey blocked the PYD’s participation in Geneva for the PYD’s ties to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).

“They were not invited because Turkey, and a large segment of the ethnic Arab and Turkmen rebel groups, are convinced that the PYD is the PKK by another name, and that the YPG is the vehicle of the PKK’s expansion in Syria,” Nicholas A. Heras, a Middle East researcher at the Centre for a New American Security (CNAS), said in an interview with ARA News.

“The Turkish government does not want to legitimize the PYD by agreeing to have it at the table in Geneva,” Heras added. “The United States, for its part, is willing to maintain the fiction that the Turks call some of the shots in the diplomatic process.”

“But in reality, the US will keep the PYD from the negotiating table in Geneva, while expanding military cooperation with the YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces coalition on the ground in Hasakah province,” the Washington-based analyst said.

“Ankara is less relevant than Washington for Syria’s Kurds,” Heras concluded.

http://aranews.net/2016/03/major-syrian ... eva-talks/

[Londoner]

Really I am scared of back-stabbing. The worst of everything is the news of Russian withdrawal from Syria. I hope it is just a tactical game.

[Anthea]

Really I am scared of back-stabbing. The worst of everything is the news of Russian withdrawal from Syria. I hope it is just a tactical game.

Putin never intended to have his troops remain in Syria

What Russia has done is to provide positive action against ISIS and MORE IMPORTANTLY to highlight Turkey's involvement and connection with ISIS

I believe Russia were the first country to take positive action against ISIS oil conveys

Russia never intended to remain in Syria for any extended length of time, that was just America trying to cover up for it's failings by spreading media lies against Putin and his intentions

Russia is also the main country supporting Kurdish participation in the Geneva Peace talks

[Anthea]

US and Russia to intensify drive for political settlement in Syria

Moscow, Russia: US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russia's President Vladimir Putin agreed on Thursday to intensify the drive for a political settlement in Syria but remained divided over Bashar al-Assad's future.

After four hours of talks at the Kremlin, Kerry said the United States and Russia had found common ground on the Syrian peace process and on taking the fight to the Islamic State jihadist group.

Before the meeting, US officials had suggested he would sound out the Russian leader about pressuring his ally Assad to step aside as part of the political solution, but afterwards little of this was said.

Kerry noted that Putin had begun to withdraw the Russian forces that had been sent to shore up Assad's rule, and had renewed Russia's commitment to the political process under way at UN-mediated peace talks in Geneva.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. AFP

[Anthea]

Personally, so far all I see is a lot of FAT men becoming FATTER

I guarantee that there are a great many self-appointed leaders attending the meetings and enjoying the status of being included

Egos abound among the arrogance ego-centric self-opinionated loud-mouthed bullies who are destined to achieve absolutely NOTHING

They will return to their respected bodies declaring 'What a important person I am'

Approximately half the population of Syria has fled

And with worldwide offers to rehouse the Syrian population, the other half of the Syrian population will no doubt be joining there predecessors

The best way to help Syria is to stop the fighting

The best way to help ISIS is to empty Syria of it's population

It seems as though the world powers intend to rehouse the entire Syrian population

And hand the entire country of Syria over to the Islamic State