Al Jazeera’s Diplomatic Editor James Bays, reporting from NY said the text was a long time coming and came despite reservations from Russian Federation.
Advertisement
The text does not include mention of Assad’s fate or which opposition groups will be included in peace talks.
US Secretary of State, In turn, said that after the vote of UN Security Council, “we will witness launching a political track which reflects the work and efforts exerted by the global group for supporting Syria that is committed to the principles and timeframes for finding a solution to the crisis in Syria”.
Analysts in Syria said the new resolution has reflected a new understanding between Moscow and Washington, particularly after the two seem to have overlooked some details that have for always been obstacles standing in the face of an global consensus, mainly the issue of the Syrian presidency.
“But I hope that we will look back on today as a significant step in that direction”.
Demanding an end to repeated failures to secure United Nations agreement over the way forward, he said the global community “have to do better fast if there is not to be still more suffering”.
Britain remains insistent that Assad can remain in place temporarily as part of a transitional administration, but cannot have a long-term role in government.
Friday’s NY talks were the first by the ISSG since Saudi Arabia gathered a coalition of Syria rebel groups to form an opposition negotiating team.
Stating that peace and stability would be possible in Syria only after a “fully-authorized” transition government is established to take the country to free and fair elections, a statement by the Foreign Ministry said Assad and all other “bloody-handed elements” of his regime should leave the scene to accomplish this. “But if 80 percent are hitting opposition rather than hitting Daesh, it’s a challenge, and we’re trying to resolve that, so that we can cooperate”.
“There is clear evidence over the last weeks that the weakening of such groups has created opportunities for the expansion of Daesh in certain areas, the very opposite of the stated objectives”.
The US and Russian initiative, which emerged from talks with a 17-nation group, foresees a rapid ceasefire in the nearly five-year-old conflict, perhaps as early as next month.
Eighteen pro-government fighters and several rebels were killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitoring group.
As expected, then, a UN Security Council Resolution was agreed today providing the framework for continued meetings, starting in January, for working out which opposition forces would be acceptable as part of a future political order and which ones must be classified as “terrorist” organizations and thus barred from the process.
Advertisement
“It is this which will enable all Syrians to decide how and by whom they are governed in future”.
