LATEST: US Confirms 400 Troops to Be Deployed for Train-and-Equip Program for Insurgent
Russia’s high-profile initiative for “peace” talks on Syria is on the point of collapse, even as it is being embraced by the US Government.
Since last autumn, Moscow has pursued its hosting of discussions between the Assad regime and the domestic Syrian opposition. Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov met President Assad in Damascus last month, and opposition representatives travelled to Russia for preliminary talks.
However, key opposition figures such as Moaz al-Khatib, the former head of the Syrian National Coalition, have said that they see no prospect of success and will not attend any discussions. The domestic opposition is also demanding that the regime release senior members who have been detained recently.
On Thursday, Vitaly Churkin (pictured) warned the domestic opposition that it should not withdraw:
The Moscow discussion floor offers a unique chance to launch a direct dialogue of equal partners between Syrian government representatives and the opposition and to miss it would be an unpardonable mistake from the point of view of an earliest possible termination of the fratricidal conflict in Syria and consolidation of all the healthy forces of society for struggle with international terrorism and violent extremism.
He said that those who did not participate “will lose their positions in the entire process of negotiations”.
Churkin’s statement reinforced the message of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday, “Those who decide not to take part in this event, they will lose in terms of their positions in the peace talks process as a whole.” However, a “Russian diplomatic source” removed the certainty of a meeting between January 26 and 29 and replaced it with the comments that there “might” be talks but discussion of how they would develop was “still premature”.
See Syria Feature: Russia Pulls Back from Political Talks at End of January
The Russian proposal has been further complicated by difficulties over the attempt by UN envoy Staffan de Mistura to arrange a “freeze” to fighting in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city. The Assad regime initially embraced the idea, but has cooled on it since the Syrian opposition and insurgents have called for the freeze to extend across northwest Syria, effectively consolidating territory under opposition control.
President Assad, in an interview with a Czech newspaper, pulled back from endorsement: “it is too early to judge the potential for the success of failure of this step”.
Still, some diplomats are proceeding with confidence that the talks will be held: US Secretary of State John Kerry, who welcomed the Russian initiative and de Mistura’s proposal on Wednesday, reiterated his support yesterday.
US Confirms 400 Troops to Be Deployed for Train-and-Equip Program for Insurgents
Military officials have confirmed that the US will send about 400 troops for its train-and-equip program for “moderate” Syrian insurgents.
A spokeswoman said training is expected to begin in early spring in Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Qatar.
The Obama Administration allocated $500 million last autumn for the program, citing the need to confront the Islamic State’s advance inside Syria.
