As Kerry met with the Syria group in Munich, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter was in Brussels to rally fresh support for the fight against the Islamic State group in largely the same territory.
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“If something happens and if the agreement is implemented, then we will see one another very soon in Geneva [to resume suspended peace talks]”, he said.
The talks in Munich were held under the auspices of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), a collective that in addition to Russian Federation and USA includes over a dozen countries from Europe and the Middle East. The ISSG said that the delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria would be urgently expanded this week by air and land.
“If implemented fully and properly … this (deal) will be an important step towards relieving the killing and suffering in Syria”, Hammond said in a statement.
The deal secures the temporary “cessation of hostilities”, which according to AP appears to be the result of a compromise between the United States and Russian Federation, although “efforts to secure a lasting cease-fire fell short”. However, the group cautioned that it would join political talks with government representatives in Switzerland if the agreement proves to be effective.
The Russians also would be allowed to continue airstrikes against what they claim are terrorist groups. Details of what some diplomats called a less formal “cessation of hostilities” have still not been firmed up.
Humanitarian aid deliveries will be the focus of the deal; these are expected to be resumed and intensified immediately. The Syrian government is besieging a number of rebel strongholds throughout the country, leaving thousands on the brink of starvation.
The Syrian government and the main opposition groups have not said whether they will implement the ceasefire, with US Secretary of State John Kerry admitting the ceasefire plan is “ambitious” and that the real test would be whether the various parties honoured the commitments.
Medvedev was quoted as saying in an interview published late yesterday by the German newspaper Handelsblatt that “a ground operation draws everyone taking part in it into a war”.
Diplomatic delegations from Iran, Saudi Arabia, China, Egypt, France, Germany, Iraq, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, the U.S. as well as the Arab League, the European Union and the United Nations are attending the Munich talks.
However, the U.S. accused Russian Federation of worsening the brutal conflict with its military action in support of Assad. Do they think they can really quickly win it?
The civil war in Syria is also a regional conflict, as well as a proxy war for a Sunni-Shiite struggle between Iran and Saudi Arabia.
The 17-member ISSG comprises supporters and opponents of Assad.
“You have no one power that can act alone”, Medvedev said. The proof will be in the doing.
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A first round of talks between the Syrian government and the opposition in Geneva collapsed earlier this month over the attacks on Aleppo. The problem is that a Kerry-Lavrov agreement doesn’t involve any of the actors on the ground. This seems to be a serious gamble, however, as Russian Federation has a lot of interest in keeping the Saudis from imposing a settlement in Syria and trying to install a pro-US government there.
