The United States and Russian Federation will help explore who is responsible for ceasefire violations, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said after the talks in Vienna aiming to revive the February “cessation of hostilities”.
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“This is necessary because there can be no lasting future for this country with Assad”, he told reporters. The discussion will be held on strengthening ceasefire in Syria and improving the humanitarian situation around Aleppo.
So far, United Nations mediated peace talks in Geneva under worldwide envoy Staffan de Mistura have made little headway and now even Washington’s allies privately doubt the August 1 date will be met.
The Syria peace talks – co-chaired by the USA and Russian Federation – ended with no apparent breakthrough, as the members were reported to have been more aggressive compared to their earlier discussions, leaving them divided on deciding a future date to resume the talks. “The issue is still waiting for some type of concrete outcome of this meeting, but we can not wait too long, we want to keep the momentum”.
Major power foreign ministers gathered in Vienna this week to attempt another ceasefire negotiation; however, they failed to agree a new date to resume Syrian peace talks in Geneva. The Vienna conference was called after UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura appealed last month to Washington and Moscow to directly intervene in putting the Syria dialogue back on track.
“If the opposition fighters on the ground do not see some relief on the ground, they can not justify staying at the table in Geneva” for Syrian peace talks. Nusra, along with Islamic State, is not party to the ceasefire.
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.
“I’m realistic. I see Americans who aren’t especially combative or ready to put much on the table that would convince the opposition to return to negotiations”, said a senior European diplomat in Vienna.
“The regime is just not there, and I think that’s really the key to it”.
We are used to the fact that Russian and USA foreign ministers are taking the world into an unknown direction.
The International Syria Support Group has stepped up efforts to help stabilize Syria with new provisions that would exclude repeat cease-fire violators from being protected under the cessation of hostilities agreement and would also expand humanitarian air drops into besieged areas.
He’s trying to meet a deadline of August 1st to form a transitional authority for Syria, that would lead to elections within 18 months.
Others, such as Perry Cammack of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, say the USA and the Syria Support Group should keep pressing for a comprehensive political solution.
Some diplomats and analysts question whether the United States has misread Russia’s desire to keep Assad in power. It was supported by Damascus, as well as by dozens of opposition groups.
If relief aid does not get through overland by that date, they urged World Food Program to conduct air lifts, which have taken place elsewhere in Syria, though with mixed success.
Syrian government forces last week removed medical supplies from an aid convoy to the town of Moadamiya, according to the World Health Organization.
Known for its peaceful protests in the early days of the uprising against Assad, Daraya has been besieged and regularly bombed since 2012.
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The Jaysh al-Islam group fired at government troops near the villages of Djobar, Arbil, Haouch al-Farah and Duma, as well as the capital district of Harasta al-Basal, said Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.
