But pro-Iranian regional newspapers, a barometer of the mood in Tehran, said it endangers gains by the Syrian army and may force Iran to withdraw its own forces.
Advertisement
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the casualties occurred during airstrikes along the road between the historic city of Palmyra, called Tadmur in Arabic, and a town to its east, al-Sukhna.
“The announcement by President [Vladimir] Putin on the very day of the beginning of this round of Intra-Syrian Talks in Geneva is a significant development, which we hope will have a positive impact on the progress of the negotiations”, he said.
The talks are the first to be held in more than two years and come amid an unprecedented cessation in hostilities sponsored by Washington and Moscow and accepted by President Bashar al-Assad’s government and most of his foes.
It could also usher in similar demands for federal regions elsewhere in Syria and in effect lead to a partition of the war-shattered country.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has achieved in five months what US President Barack Obama has not in five years – impose a ceasefire and bring the warring factions in Syria to the negotiating table, The Hindustan Times said on Wednesday. “A key question is the flexibility and the willingness of the current government to strike a deal”, he said in a phone interview.
“I hope this will significantly increase the level of trust of all the participants in the political process in Syria”, Putin said at the televised meeting that was also attended by foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.
The reality is that Russian Federation just labeled anyone with an AK-47 and a distaste for the Assad regime as “ISIS”.
“Hospitals in opposition-controlled areas around Aleppo became a primary target for the Russian and Syrian government forces”. He thinks Russians are in fact pressuring Assad to step down. “It’s a pivotal moment”. “But we’ve not seen a large contingent of Russian forces leave”, Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told reporters. Assad expressed his gratitude to Russian Federation for its alliance in battling terrorism and providing humanitarian aid. In an interview with The Associated Press, he said it’s a contribution to efforts to reduce military tensions and find a peaceful solution to the Syrian conflict. “They’re not going to work with Assad”.
Still there is skepticism in western capitals.
Analysis of satellite imagery, footage of Russian air strikes, and defence ministry statements have previously suggested that Russia kept around 36 military jets at its Hmeymim base in Syria’s Latakia province.
“If the announcement of a withdrawal of Russian troops materializes, this increases the pressure on President Assad to finally negotiate in a serious way in Geneva a political transition which maintains the stability of the Syrian state and the interests of all populations”, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said.
Advertisement
Almost as soon as Russian Federation issued its legitimization for intervention, however, it began to fall apart.
