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Days after political talks on Syria’s crisis, Russia is promoting an alternative “opposition”, with claims of a draft Constitution to resolve the six-year conflict.

On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hosted Syrian figures whom Moscow considers acceptable. Those attending included Randa Kassis, Louay Hussein, and Qadri Jamil as well as Jihad Maqdisi, the former spokesman for the regime.

None of those present were from the opposition-rebel bloc at this week’s political talks in Astana, Kazakhstan. The opposition site Eldorar said both the Syrian National Coalition and the High Negotiations Committee turned down Moscow’s invitation.

Pro-opposition activists also claimed some leading figures such as former heads of the Syrian National Coalition, Moaz al-Khatib and Ahmed Jarba turned down Moscow’s invitation.

Nevertheless, Lavrov said the “opposition” is setting up working groups on constitutional matters and forming a united delegation for talks under UN auspices in Geneva next month. However, he said the Geneva session had been pushed from February 8 to the end of the month.

A Russian Foreign Ministry statement declared that the Syrian group was “given the draft constitution drawn up by Russian and Arab experts, which had been made public in Astana”.

Moscow said that it tabled the constitution at the Astana talks. It claimed the text included dropping religion as a criteria for electing a President, who currently has to be a Muslim, and setting a one-term limit of seven years. Sharia law would be barred as the basis for the Syrian system.

However, Turkey — which worked with Russia to broker the talks — said that it never saw the draft.

There has also been confusion over some of the claimed terms. The initial reports said Syrian Kurds would be given autonomy. But on Friday, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a press briefing, “No one is going to offer this, not in any persistent manner whatsoever, since that is just pointless.”

The representative of the Syrian Kurdistan Democratic Union Party (PYD) to France, Khalid Issa, said after his participation in the meeting: “Peaceful negotiations cannot be carried out without the participation of the representatives of the PYD, the Kurds and without the democratic autonomy project being made its basis.”


Amid Fighting, Factions Join Jihadists of Jabhat Fatah al-Sham

Amid fighting between the jihadists of Jabhat Fatah al-Sham and rebel factions, several groups have announced they are joining JFS.

Most of the Nur ed-Din al-Zinki Brigade — which was already sharing camps with JFS — Liwa al-Haq, Jabhat Ansar al-Din, and Jaish al-Sunna have merged with JFS, formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra.

The bolstered coalition will be known as Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham. The leader has been named as Abu Jaber, a former commander of Ahrar al-Sham, which is now leading the rebel factions opposed to JFS/Nusra.

JFS/Nusra launched attacks on rebel positions and headquarters across northwest Syria on Monday, taking the front west of Aleppo city and several villages in Idlib Province.

Ahrar al-Sham, the largest rebel faction, responded by announcing it will protect other rebel groups, and thousands of fighters soon joined Ahrar.


Regime Finally Takes Control of al-Fija Springs in Wadi Barada Near Damascus

After a five-week offensive, Hezbollah and regime forces have finally taken control of the al-Fija springs in Wadi Barada, northwest of Damascus.

Rebels withdrew west towards the village of Deir Maqrin as the pro-Assad forces moved in.

WADI BARADA MAP 28-01-17

Map: Abdulwahab2070

Hezbollah and the regime launched the offensive on December 22, continuing despite a Russian-Turkish-brokered ceaseifire on December 29 and a Russian-Turkish-Iranian truce earlier. After weeks of near-constant bombing, shelling, and ground assaults, they had taken three of Wadi Barada’s 10 villages before today.

The pumping station for the springs was damaged by regime airstrikes in late December, cutting off supplies to more than five million people in and near Damascus. Two agreements to allow Russian engineers to assess and repair the facilities collapsed, one when the mutally-agreed negotiator was shot and killed.

See Syria Daily, Jan 26: Ceasefire? Pro-Assad Offensive Continues Against Wadi Barada


Amnesty Calls for Action for Abducted White Helmets Rescuer

Amnesty International has appealed for international action on behalf of abducted White Helmets rescuers Abdulhadi Kamel.

Kamel was seized on December 16 by pro-Assad forces when they blocked a convoy removing civilians from eastern Aleppo city. Since then, he has only been seen in a regime video, “confessing” to sinister activity by the White Helmets, who have been targeted by a smear campaign because of their assistance to civilians in opposition areas.

See also Syria Feature: These Are The White Helmets


Presidency Denies Assad Hospitalized

The President’s office has denied that Bashar al-Assad has been hospitalized.

Claims have circulated this week that Assad was taken to hospital, with varying assertions over the cause and severity of his condition.

The Presidency said on Friday that Assad “is in excellent health and carrying out his work normally”. It claimed:

The Syrian people have become immunized against such lies that have been plentiful since the beginning of the war on Syria. Such lies are no more than dreams and attempts to raise flagging morale, and they only illicit ridicule and mockery.


Trump Removes “Safe Zones” Reference From Ban on Syrian Refugees

A reference to “safe zones” inside Syria has been removed from a US executive order banning Syrian refugees.

Donald Trump issued the order on Friday, which also imposed a 120-day suspension of visas for people from seven mainly-Muslim countries.

See US Feature: Trump Tracker, Day 8

Trump said in passing in an interview earlier this week, as he set out his intention for the refugee bans, “Now I’ll absolutely do safe zones in Syria for the people.”

Reuters said a draft measure called for Defense Secretary James Mattis to report within 90 days on a proposal for the zones. However, no detail was specified, including the location of the safe areas. Still, Russia warned the US against any consideration of the initiative.

See Syria Daily, Jan 27: Russia Warns Trump Over “Safe Zones”