In an interview with Russia’s Rossiya-1 television channel on Thursday, Lavrov said the settlement in Syria had nor prospects without the Islamic Republic.
“When we agreed to this format [of negotiations on Syria], we said we were convinced that the idea to set up a circle of support for a Syria settlement without Iran had no prospects,” Lavrov said.
- Two conferences were previously held in an attempt to resolve the Syrian crisis in the Swiss city of Geneva, one in 2012 and the other in 2014. However, both events ended in failure amid the absence of Iran, an important regional player.
- Iran was not invited to the first one, and while the country primarily received an invitation to take part in the second Geneva conference, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon later rescinded the invitation under pressure from the United States, Saudi Arabia, and the foreign-backed Syrian opposition.
Lavrov’s comments come as Tehran has drawn up a four-point peace plan on the Syrian crisis, which calls for a national unity government, a ceasefire, fighting terrorism and constitutional reforms in the violence-torn Arab nation, according to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.
The Russian diplomat also noted that “in the current conditions, it is fundamentally important to include Egypt, Qatar, the UAE and Jordan” in the aforesaid circle of support.
Lavrov further suggested that the above-mentioned countries “could be represented by their ministers in [the Austrian capital city of] Vienna tomorrow, but at parallel meetings.”
He was referring to a meeting between Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry scheduled for October 23, in which their counterparts from Saudi Arabia and Turkey will also be present to discuss the crisis in Syria.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced the meeting hours after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks on the situation in Syria in Russia’s capital city of Moscow.
almanar.com.lb
22/10/15
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Related:
Political settlement in Syria can start only after stage of anti-terror struggle — (Kremlin)
US, Russia, Saudi and Turkey to meet to discuss Syria
US Criticizes 'Red-carpet' Treatment of Assad in Moscow
White House reaction to Assad’s visit to Moscow regrettable (Sergey Ryabkov)
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Kerry in Vienna, seeks diplomatic solution to Syrian war...
ReplyDeleteU.S. Secretary of State John Kerry opened talks in Vienna Friday with his Russian, Saudi and Turkish counterparts aimed at reviving a moribund effort to end Syria's civil war.
Kerry began a day-long series of meetings in the Austrian capital in consultations with Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir and Turkish Foreign Minister Feridun Sinirlioglu, both of whom share the U.S. view that Syrian President Bashar Assad must go for the conflict is to be resolved. None of the three spoke to reporters as they opened their discussions at a luxury hotel. They will be joined later by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, whose country is Assad's prime backer.
On Thursday in Berlin, Kerry said one focus of the talks would be to consider "a broader participation of very necessary countries, all of whom need to be at the table" to discuss the way forward in Syria. Russia is keen to bring Assad's other main supporter, Iran, into the talks, but Saudi Arabia in particular is opposed.
Kerry said all the countries with an interest in Syria, including Iran and Russia, agree on what the result should be: a unified, secular and pluralistic Syria governed with the consent of its people. He said that Assad's continued presence is the only thing preventing that goal from being realized.
"One thing stands in the way of being able to rapidly move to implement that, and it's a person called Assad - Bashar Assad," he said. "So the issue is, can we get to a political process during which time the future devolution and allocation of power in Syria is properly allocated by the people of Syria? And that's what we're working towards. So my hope is that these talks can begin a process that could open up a greater discussion."...................Associated Press.............dailystar.com.lb
23/10/15
La Russie et la Jordanie se sont mises d’accord pour coordonner les actions de leurs militaires via un centre opérationnel à Amman...
ReplyDeleteLa Russie et la Jordanie ont convenu de coordonner les actions de leurs militaires en Syrie, a annoncé le ministre russe des Affaires étrangères Sergueï Lavrov en visite à Vienne.
"Les militaires des deux pays vont coordonner leurs actions via un mécanisme de travail mis en place à Amman, capitale de la Jordanie", a déclaré M. Lavrov aux journalistes.
"Nous pensons que les autres Etats participant à la lutte antiterroriste se joindront à ce mécanisme", a indiqué le ministre.
Sergueï Lavrov a rencontré vendredi dans la capitale autrichienne son homologue jordanien Nasser Judeh. Moscou espère que les négociations de Vienne, qui réunissent les chefs de la diplomatie russe, américain, jordanien, saoudien et turc, constitueront une étape importante vers la création d'une large coalition en Syrie.
http://sptnkne.ws/WU3
Russia, Jordan agree on military coordination on Syria...
ReplyDeleteRussia and Jordan have agreed to coordinate their military actions on Syria by setting up a "special working mechanism" in the Jordanian capital Amman, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.
Russia, which is bombing rebel targets in Syria in support of its ally President Bashar al-Assad, has already forged close cooperation with the governments of Iraq, Syria and Iran, which are all part of a loose Shi'ite alliance pursuing different aims from those of the United States and its allies.
Jordan, however, is Sunni-dominated and closely aligned with Washington, so Moscow's deal with Jordan could mark a shift in the alliances engaged in the Syria conflict.
"The military of the two countries have agreed to coordinate their actions through a working mechanism in Amman, capital of Jordan," Lavrov said in comments broadcast by Rossiya-24 television channel.
"We think that other states that participate in the anti- terrorist fight can join this mechanism as well," Lavrov added.............Reuters.com
23/10/15