World power talks on ending the Syrian conflict broke up with no clear breakthrough on Tuesday, May 17, as new faction-fighting erupted and the death toll continued to mount.
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US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov said the Syria contact group they co-chair had agreed to bolster a shaky ceasefire.
Senior figures from the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) have gathered in Vienna in an effort to restore a fragile truce between Syrian government and moderate opposition forces.
“The exact date, I am not at the moment revealing that”, he said, referring to a possible resumption of indirect talks between the warring parties.
U.S. officials travelling with Kerry say the United States still insists that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should go as part of a “framework for political transition” with an August 1 deadline.
More than 250,000 people have been killed and 11 million others displaced since an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in 2011.
Meanwhile, de Mistura said that setting a date for the new round of talks in Geneva depends on several factors, including the upcoming month of Ramadan, progress in implementing ISSG decisions, and humanitarian aid efforts.
“We don’t support al-Assad”.
Following a meeting of diplomats from two dozen countries and organizations, Secretary of State John Kerry said they want to convert a fragile, often-violated truce into a full-fledged nationwide ceasefire, but acknowledged that it was a hard goal when both the government and some rebel groups had taken actions to undermine it.
But the Syrian strongman has been bolstered by military support from Russian Federation and Iran, and shows no sign of leaving. The State Department has accused forces fighting alongside Assad of being the prime violator of the cease-fire, including attacks on hospitals, refugee camps, and USA -supported rebel groups that are party to the agreement.
He added that peace talks “will become credible when there is credible cessation of hostilities and credible humanitarian aid” delivery. We don’t support Assad. Staffan de Mistura, UN Special Envoy for Syria, suspended talks which he said could not be sustained under bombardment. “They’re actors on both sides”, Kerry said.
The Local also reported that on Monday that “powerful blasts rocked a gas field after what observers said was an Islamic State group attack on the key infrastructure Syria will need if it is to rebuild”. In fact, within the war’s first year a new Syrian constitution was drafted in Damascus and approved in a referendum with almost 90 per cent of the vote.
“Groups of the worldwide terrorist organization Jabhat al-Nusra are continuing combat operations”.
Besides wanting the talks to resume in Switzerland later this month, the ISSG has set a deadline of 1 August for the formation of a transitional government in Syria, leading to elections within 18 months.
Iran, Russia, Turkey and Saudi Arabia as well as representatives from the European Union and the Arab League are among the countries participating in the International Syria Support Group meeting on Tuesday. The question is whether Washington has enough leverage over Russian Federation and Iran to convince them to reconcile their interests in Syria with those opposed to Assad.
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BEIRUT – Russia has built a military encampment inside a zone that holds the UNESCO world heritage site in the ancient Syrian town of Palmyra, where Islamic State militants were driven out recently by pro-government forces. If the United Nations can not reach them by land, the WFP will conduct a joint operation with Russia, US and other countries to airlift aid to 110,000 people.
