Russia and regime continue to bomb opposition areas in Syria despite conference

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Russia’s conference for a “national congress” in Syria ended Tuesday with little advance, following a series of stumbles and the absence of the opposition.

The gathering issued a Russian-drafted statement calling for democratic elections and establishing a committee to draft a new Constitution, while setting aside the transitional process — the center of international efforts since 2012 — that might challenge the rule of Bashar al-Assad.

The statement sought the preservation of security forces without calling for their reform, and it ignored Syrian refugees, not saying whether they could take part in any elections.

UN envoy Staffan de Mistura made a last-minute decision to attend the conference, but warned that it must not supplant the UN-supported Geneva process seeking a political resolution: “We don’t need a new process, we don’t need any competitive process.” He declared that the Constitutional committee agreed in Sochi “will become a reality in Geneva”, saying he will decide the criteria for committee members and select about 50 people for the panel.

But the opposition’s absence from Sochi already put a question mark over any developments from Sochi. The High Negotiations Committee met Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow last week, but then decided to stay away, saying that the Russian-driven process would threaten Geneva and citing Russia’s ongoing support for the Assad regime and its killing of civilians. A smaller opposition group, including rebel officials, never left Sochi airport amid a row over regime flags and emblems on display.

Ahmed Tomah, the head of the delegation, said they would fly back to Turkey: “We were surprised that none of the promises that were given had been kept, the ferocious bombing of civilians had not stopped nor the flags and banners of the regime removed.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov opened by reading out a statement from President Vladimir Putin saying the conditions were ripe for Syria to turn “a tragic page” in its history, but he was heckled by some delegates who walked out as they noted Russia’s complicity in the Assad regime’s killing of civilians with airstrikes.

Other delegates shouted support for Russia. Among them was Mihraç Ural, a Turkish national accused of mass killings as he led pro-Assad forces, including the executions of at least 77 civilians in Baniyas in western Syria in May 2013.

Ural, the leader of the paramilitary group the Syrian Resistance (Al Muqawamat al-Suriyah), is one of the most wanted “terrorists” in Turkey with a TL 1 million ($265,000) reward for his capture. He is also accused of car bombings in 2013 in Reyhanlı in southern Turkey, killing 52 people.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has called for an explanation of Moscow about Ural’s attendance at the conference.

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Meanwhile, Russia and the Assad regime continued bombing of civilian areas across Idlib Province in northwest Syria. ON Tuesday, a strike on a market in the town of Ariha killed 15 people and injured more than 20, according to rescuers.

ARIHA BOMBING 30-01-18

Scores of airstrikes since Sunday have killed almost 50 people. The only hospital in the town of Saraqeb was knocked out of service as it treated victims of attacks.

See Syria Daily, Jan 30: Pro-Assad Bombing Overshadows Opening of Russia’s Conference

Supported by the airstrikes, pro-Assad forces have reportedly moved beyond the Abu Duhur airbase, captured earlier this month in southeast Idlib Province. Reports claims they have taken 11 villages to the west and are now only 15 km (9 miles) from Saraqeb and the M5 highway between Aleppo and Damascus.

Pro-Assad forces also continued their assault on East Ghouta near Damascus, hitting the town of Arbin overnight. Two civilians were killed and two children and a woman injured after eight surface-to-surface missiles struck, according to rescuers.

Turkey Lashes Out at France’s Macron Over “Invasion” Comment

Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım has hit back at French President Emmanuel Macron’s concern that Turkey’s offensive against the Kurdish canton of Afrin in northwest Syria should not turn into an “invasion”.

“If France is interpreting this issue as an [invasion], we need to assess what they have done in Syria accordingly,” Yıldırım said at a joint press conference with visiting Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Wednesday.

“This is a crooked idea from the start. The whole world knows that Turkey is not acting with an invasive mind. They should know it too,” Yıldırım continued.

Macron said in an interview published earlier in the day:

If the operation becomes more than fighting a potential terrorist threat on the Turkish border and turns into an invasion operation, we would have a real problem with that.

With respect to the stability and protection of borders, Turkey has some security-related expectations. But we cannot build security without respecting the sovereignty of Syria against an enemy that is not Daesh [Islamic State].

Macron also countered Russia’s attempt to take over the political process with his proposal a “broader framework”, saying this week’s Sochi talks have not yielded any result.

The President that he would like to work with Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the US and Egypt to develop an inclusive mechanism to resolve Syria’s situation and that he would try to convince Turkey and Russia.