He stressed, ahead of global talks in the Austrian capital Saturday, that “there is no reason for optimism, let alone euphoria”.
Advertisement
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov alleged Monday he received a delegation from the Syrian National Coalition, the Turkey-based political wing of the Syrian opposition. The United States and Russia have been engaged in so-called deconfliction talks to prevent accidental contact or clashes between American and Russian jets in the skies above Syria.
The two diplomats further emphasized the continuation of consultations between Tehran and Moscow for the restoration of peace and stability in the Middle East region, particularly in Syria.
The eight-point proposal, drawn up by Moscow before multi-lateral talks on Syria this week, does not rule out President Bashar al-Assad’s participation in the early elections, something his foes say is impossible if there is to be peace. They agreed to a U.N.-led process involving talks between the Syrian government and opposition, and also to explore a cease-fire that would still allow strikes against terrorist groups.
Syria has been in a state of civil war since 2011, with government forces countering several extremist groups, including the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Nusra Front.
– Launching a constitutional reform process taking up to 18 months to guarantee “sustainable security and fair balance of interests, rights and obligations of all ethnic and confessional (religious) groups in structures of power and state institutions”.
Assad was overwhelmingly elected to a new seven-year term in June 2014 but his opponents dismissed the vote as a sham.
– Agreeing that the popularly elected president will be commander-in-chief of the armed forces and have “control of special services and foreign policy”.
Advertisement
The event will be a continuation of October 30 negotiations in Vienna, which were attended by 17 nations, including Iran, as well as envoys from the United Nations and the European Union. We need to hold on to a straw, given the level of tragedy.
