Syria peace talks have started in Kazakhstan

[Anthea]

Syria conflict: UN endorses Syria ceasefire deal

The UN Security Council has unanimously endorsed a ceasefire deal in Syria led by Turkey and Russia, as well as plans for fresh peace talks next month.

The resolution, drafted by Russia, also calls for rapid access for humanitarian aid to be delivered across the country.

The ceasefire, which began just over a day ago, has mostly held.

But Syria's main rebel alliance had threatened to abandon the truce by 18:00 GMT if the government continued to attack areas under its control.

The Free Syrian Army (FSA) issued the ultimatum to Russia - Syria's key ally - amid reports of intense bombardment by government forces on the rebel-held Wadi Barada area of Damascus, which the rebels say is in breach of the truce.

Shelling on the area concerned ceased just minutes before the deadline, the group's legal adviser, Osama Abu Zeid, said.

The truce applies across Syria but does not cover certain rebel groups including the jihadists of so-called Islamic State (IS) and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (JFS), and the Kurdish YPG militia.

Earlier on Saturday, the FSA said that, following statements from Russian officials, it was "surprised" to find that its version of the agreement differed from that of the government.

The UN resolution comes against a backdrop of deadlock among the veto-wielding members of the Security Council, with Russia supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the US, UK and France insisting he must step down as part of any deal to end the war.

Russia and Turkey also back opposite sides in the conflict, with Turkey supporting the rebellion against Mr Assad.

Why is Wadi Barada so important?

On Thursday, the UN expressed concern about the fighting in the town, saying fighters were deliberately targeting and damaging springs used to supply some four million people in the Damascus area with drinking water.

Wadi Barada is held by opposition forces, including JFS, which was known as al-Nusra Front until it formally broke ties with al-Qaeda in July.

On Saturday, the FSA accused the government and Iranian militias of "brazen violations" in the town, accusing them of planning a "massacre" which would "lead to an immediate end" of the truce.

"We call on Russia which signed the agreement as a guarantor for the regime and its allies to bear its responsibility," the rebels said.

The FSA added that it was "fully committed to the ceasefire in accordance with a comprehensive truce which does not exclude any area or faction present in opposition areas".

Who is included in the truce agreement?

On the one side, Syrian government forces, allied militias and the Russian military.

On the other, the FSA plus several other groups.

The Russian defence ministry named seven "moderate opposition formations" included in the truce as Faylaq al-Sham, Ahrar al-Sham, Jaysh al-Islam, Thuwwar Ahl al-Sham, Jaysh al-Mujahidin, Jaysh Idlib and Jabhah al-Shamiya.

Ahrar al-Sham, which said it had "reservations" about the deal, and Jaysh al-Islam are Islamist groups that Russia has previously described as terrorist organisations.

Who is not included?

ISIS and JFS and the groups affiliated to them", are not part of the agreement, according to the Syrian army.

JFS said on Friday it would continue to fight President Assad, with a spokesman saying the political solution under the truce would "reproduce the criminal regime".

Members of the group are currently operating as part of a rebel alliance that controls Idlib province.

The FSA also said the deal did not include the Kurdish Popular Protection Units (YPG).

The militia, which has captured large swathes of north-eastern Syria from ISIS with US support, is designated a terrorist organisation by Turkey.

The truce is nominally nationwide, although that really only covers the areas where the sides who have signed up have a presence - western Syria.

Link to Article - Photos:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38475830

[Londoner]

This ceasefire never works. It is a Turkish recipe against Kurds. Turkey failed to USA against Kurds. Now they try to enlist Russia but obviously Russia knows the game of Turkey. There is no way for Russia to become Turkish Mule.

For the disappointment of Turkey, Russia already started to mediate between Kurds and the regime and written a constitution for Syria as a federal State.

[Anthea]

This ceasefire never works. It is a Turkish recipe against Kurds. Turkey failed to USA against Kurds. Now they try to enlist Russia but obviously Russia knows the game of Turkey. There is no way for Russia to become Turkish Mule.

For the disappointment of Turkey, Russia already started to mediate between Kurds and the regime and written a constitution for Syria as a federal State.

You are 100% correct there is no way Erdogan will be able to make use of Putin

[Anthea]

Who represents Kurds at Syria peace talks?

Swiftly after the last rebels were evacuated in Aleppo as Syrian forces took full control, a new ceasefire was orchestrated by Russia, Iran, and Turkey intending to a fresh round of peace talks in Kazakhstan. Though, the dominant Syrian Kurdish political party, the Democratic Union Party (PYD), along with its military wing, the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) forces, have been excluded from the talks at the insistence of Turkey.

The capture of Aleppo by the Syrian regime and their allies provides a pivotal moment in the Syrian war and a platform for a peace deal. However, vast areas of the country remain not in the hands of Assad or even the opposition but the powerful Kurdish forces.

Turkey’s Syria policy has long been shaped by its fear of an increasingly assertive Kurdish zone on its southern border. In fact, in some ways, this defined its approach to dealing with the Islamic State (IS).

In contrast, the United States has relied heavily on these Kurdish forces as one of the most effective forces against IS. Ongoing US support for what Ankara deems as terrorists has placed Turkey at loggerheads with the US.

With the thawing of ties between Ankara and Moscow, Turkey is enjoying new leverage in Syria, culminating in their intervention last year to curtail Syrian Kurdish aspirations to join their cantons. With the realization that Russia and Iran would not forgo Assad, Turkey’s focus has fast shifted from the removal of Assad to keeping Kurdish aspirations in check and creating a northern zone of influence.

The exclusion of the PYD and YPG in any talks and perhaps even the dismantling of their autonomy was likely a key Turkish condition on any deal with Russia and Iran.

Although the PYD has been excluded from the talks, the Kurdish National Council in Syria (ENKS) will be taking part. Dr. Abdulhakim Bashar of ENKS told Kurdistan24, “the claims that Syrian Kurds are not represented in the peace talks are false."

The ENKS has played down PYD's exclusion from the peace negotiations from being linked to Kurdish rights. But, ultimately, PYD has greater political leverage in the region as well as the influence of YPG forces.

This underscores the division among Kurds that undermine their solidarity, unity, and negotiating position in future talks.

Various agreements to unite the ENKS and the rival People’s Council of Western Kurdistan (PCWK), an affiliate of PYD, have eroded.

Turkish intervention and takeover of a strip of IS controlled land in the north of Syria, primarily aimed at curbing Kurdish aspirations, is likely to have been launched with Moscow’s tacit approval.

Russia had previously insisted that participation of the main Syrian Kurdish party was vital in any peace talks.

In March 2016, the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, critical of Turkish ultimatums at the time, even said leaving the Kurds out of the Geneva talks could endanger Syria’s territorial integrity.

Turkish intervention in Syria was not received warmly by Washington as it feared conflict between Kurds and Turks and a focus away from defeating IS.

In recent weeks, tense relations between the NATO allies were visible over a lack of US air support in Turkey’s bid to take al-Bab. Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isık said the ongoing US support for the PYD was leading the government to “question” the use of the strategic Incirlik base by the US-led coalition forces.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim was equally damning of the US stance on the Kurds, accusing the US of been engaged in a “fake struggle.” He urged President-elect Donald Trump to “put an end to this vileness, as it is now time for friends and foes to clearly separate themselves from each other."

As much as Trump will be eager for a deal with the Turks and Russians to end the war, pulling the plug on the Kurdish forces is a significant risk at a crucial time against IS. Moreover, any military moves to curtail the Kurds would merely prolong and intensify the Syrian war.

Autonomy is a red-line for the Kurds, and regardless of which political party represents them in any peace talks, they remain a vital component of the Syrian landscape, and their rights should be ensured if Syria is to find any semblance of peace and stability.

As for Syrian Kurds, without a unified political scene and armed forces, any autonomous region cannot flourish amid hostile neighbors.

http://www.kurdistan24.net/en/Analysis/ ... eace-talks?

[Londoner]

For the luck of Kurds all major appointees of president elect 'trump' are anti-Russians and Turkey has joined Russia. Nothing could be better than that for Kurds.

[Anthea]

I cannot understand how the peace talks can bring any lasting peace if the ISIS jihadists - who we are led to believe are the evil everyone is fighting against - are not themselves present at such talks

Is this meeting only for the so-called good guys, who appear intent on bombing Syria back to the stone age

If the meeting is only to stop the coalition bombing - does that mean when the coalition bombing ceases there will be peace

[Londoner]

I cannot understand how the peace talks can bring any lasting peace if the ISIS jihadists - who we are led to believe are the evil everyone is fighting against - are not themselves present at such talks

Is this meeting only for the so-called good guys, who appear intent on bombing Syria back to the stone age

If the meeting is only to stop the coalition bombing - does that mean when the coalition bombing ceases there will be peace

Fair point!!! but ISIS will not join any peace talks. You have only two choices, not a third one, to make: You either join ISIS or die.

[Anthea]

Fair point!!! but ISIS will not join any peace talks. You have only two choices, not a third one, to make: You either join ISIS or die.

That was exactly the way in which Kurds were persuaded to become Muslims

It was wrong when Kurds were (cough) converted at knife-point and it is wrong now

What needs to happen - rather than holding near pointless talks - is for ALL countries to stop trading and supplying weapons to rebel and jihadist fighters inside Syria

Follow link below for LONG list of armed groups in the Syria

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_a ... _Civil_War

[Anthea]

Peace talks begin in Astana, Kazakhstan

Fresh peace talks aimed at resolving the Syrian conflict have begun in the Kazakh capital, Astana.

The talks are brokered by Russia and Iran, which back the Syrian government, and Turkey which supports the rebels.

For the first time, the opposition delegation has been formed exclusively of representatives of armed groups.

Organisers have played down expectations of a breakthrough, and rebels say there will be no direct negotiations with the government.

The last round of talks between the opposition and the government, which were brokered by the UN, were suspended in early 2016.

Jihadists such as so-called Islamic State (IS) are excluded. Kazakhstan's foreign ministry says it expects the talks to be finished by Tuesday.

More than 300,000 people have been killed and 11 million displaced in almost six years of conflict.

UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura is attending the talks, and the US is being represented by its ambassador to Kazakhstan.

"Everything has changed since Aleppo," says a Western diplomat who has been engaged on Syria for the past several years. "There's a new equation."

The opposition's stinging defeat in the northern city of Aleppo in December robbed them of their last major urban stronghold to challenge President Bashar al-Assad's rule.

And there was another game-changer. Behind the scenes, in the Turkish capital Ankara, a new Russian-Turkish alliance forged a deal to end the final fight for Syria's second city.

Now two unlikely allies, who have always backed different sides in this war, are hoping to redraw Syria's geo-political map.

Bashar al-Jaafari, who heads the Syrian government delegation, said earlier that the agenda would focus on strengthening a ceasefire that has largely held since last month.

"This would be a test of the credibility and seriousness of the participants, whether those who will be sitting at the discussion table or their operators," he said, quoted by state media.

Russia and Turkey brokered the ceasefire on 30 December. It excludes IS and the rival jihadist group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, known as al-Nusra Front until it broke off formal ties with al-Qaeda in July.

An opposition spokesman told the BBC at the start of the talks that both sides would discuss - though indirectly - the ceasefire, humanitarian aid and prisoners.

Last week, a leader of the rebel group Jaysh al-Islam, Mohammed Alloush, said he would go to Astana to end the "crimes" of the government and its allies.

The main umbrella group representing Syria's political and armed opposition factions, the High Negotiations Committee, says it considers the Astana talks a "preliminary step for the next round" of negotiations on a political settlement in Geneva.

The Syrian conflict began with peaceful, anti-government protests before armed militants took over the protests and escalated it into a full-scale civil war.

Link to Article - Photos:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38714441

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38714441

[Anthea]

War of words as peace talks open in Astana, Kazakhstan

The Syrian government's lead negotiator has denounced what he called his rebel counterpart's "provocative" comments at the start of peace talks in Astana.

Bashar Jaafari said Mohammed Alloush had acted in a way "removed from diplomacy" at the indirect negotiations convened by Russia, Iran and Turkey.

Mr Alloush described the Syrian government as a "terrorist entity".

He also said a political solution to the civil war was the rebels' preferred choice, but "not the only one".

The talks in Kazakhstan's capital are the first at which the opposition delegation is formed exclusively of representatives of armed groups.
(disarm these and other armed groups and fighting stops)

UN-brokered negotiations in Geneva involving exiled opposition political figures broke down last April with little progress having been made.

More than 300,000 people have been killed and 11 million others displaced since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011.
(these armed groups are fighting each other not just Assad)

The talks opened on Monday morning at a hotel in Astana with the rebel delegation sat on one side of a large round table, and government officials on the other side.

They were joined by representatives of Russia and Iran, which back Mr Assad, and Turkey, which supports the rebels, as well as UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura and the US ambassador to Kazakhstan.

The meeting was closed to the media after an address by Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov, who said it was time to "make the real breakthrough that Syrian people rightfully deserve".

Mr Jaafari, Syria's permanent representative to the UN, insisted he had delivered a "positive and optimistic" message.

"Everything has changed since Aleppo," says a Western diplomat who has been engaged on Syria for the past several years.

"There's a new equation."

The opposition's stinging defeat in the city of Aleppo in December robbed them of their last major urban stronghold to challenge President Bashar al-Assad's rule.

And there was another game-changer. Behind the scenes, in the Turkish capital Ankara, a new Russian-Turkish alliance forged a deal to end the final fight for Syria's second city.

Full Article:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38714441


Ugly looking lot I would not want to meet them on a dark night

[Anthea]

YPG General Command: We won't act according to Astana decisions

The General Command of People's Defense Units (YPG) released a statement regarding their stance toward the Astana talks that kicked off in Kazakhstan’s capital city Astana today.

YPG said they see that those involved in this meeting are parties with a share in the Syrian crisis which have made no contribution to a solution.

The statement by YPG General Command pointed out that:

"We say that the crisis in Syria will reach a solution with democratic projects, fraternity of the peoples and Democratic Autonomy.

Since we have not been invited to the Astana talks, the decisions taken there will not be binding to us in any way. The decisions to be taken are valid for the participants in the meeting.

We hope that the fighting and bloodshed in Syria will stop, and that the crisis will reach a democratic solution.”

[Anthea]

Iran, Russia and Turkey 'to enforce' truce

Iran, Russia and Turkey say they will jointly enforce a fragile three-week cessation of hostilities in Syria.

The announcement came after two days of peace talks in the Kazakh capital, Astana.

In a joint statement, the three countries said there was no military solution to the Syrian conflict.

It was not clear whether the Syrian government or the opposition backed the communique. Earlier, a rebel spokesman said "no agreements" would be signed.

More than 300,000 people have been killed and 11 million others displaced since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011.

The "trilateral mechanism" was agreed between Russia and Iran, which back Mr Assad's government, and Turkey, which supports the opposition.

It would "observe and ensure full compliance with the ceasefire, prevent any provocation and determine all modalities", the statement said.

Earlier, however, the Guardian reported that rebel officials objected to Iran having a role because of its support of militia groups, which they accuse of repeatedly violating the cessation of hostilities.

Government negotiator Bashar Jaafari had accused rebel groups of violating the truce and defending "war crimes" by the allied jihadist group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, which is excluded from the ceasefire along with so-called Islamic State (ISIS).

The talks in Astana were the first where the opposition delegation was formed exclusively of representatives of armed groups.

Rebel spokesman Yahya al-Aridi had earlier said that his delegation would also push for the lifting of government sieges of opposition-held areas and "goodwill gestures", including the release of political detainees and aid deliveries.

He added that it was hoped the meeting would "contribute" to the UN-brokered negotiations on a political settlement that are due to resume in Geneva next month.

The negotiations in Geneva broke down last April with little progress having been made.

The UN has called for $4.63bn (£3.71bn) in fresh funding to help Syrian refugees and host communities in neighbouring countries. The appeal, made at a conference in Helsinki, is in addition to the $3.4bn estimated by the UN to be needed to help 13.5 million people within Syria this year

Turkey says it will not hand over the northern town of al-Bab to Syria's government after IS militants are driven out. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told state-run news agency Anadolu that the operation was launched to protect Turkey's border. Turkey launched its operation in August. IS-held al-Bab has been under siege since December

Syrian forces and rebels clashed in the Wadi Barada area near Damascus, according to the UK-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Wadi Barada contains a major spring, which supplies water to millions of residents in the capital. Government fighters have tried to recapture the area

The jihadist group Jabhat Fateh al-Sham launched an assault and seized some positions from rebel groups in north-western Syria that are attending the Kazakhstan talks, Reuters news agency reports. Diplomats said the move could be aimed at weakening the opposition's bargaining position

Link to Article - Photo - Video:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-38728903

[Anthea]

Someone forgot to invite the PYD/YPG

That would be the same PYD/YPG whose members have been risking life and limb fighting ISIS

al Nusra is not there

Nor is the the Islamic State

There has been no mention of the Islamic Front

At one time the Islamic Front were the jihadists doing most of the fighting in Aleppo

ODD that those who are involved in most of the fighting - both good and bad - are not involved in the peace talks

[Anthea]

Kurdish leader says excluding SDF from peace talks huge mistake

Leading Kurdish politician Salih Muslim, argued on Monday that excluding the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) from the upcoming peace talks in Astana was a mistake, limiting the talks’ scope and breadth.

Muslim, the co-chair of the Democratic Union Party (PYD), told ARA News in an exclusive interview that the goal of the Russia-sponsored talks is finding a political solution to the ongoing crisis in Syria.

“The upcoming Astana meeting is aimed at negotiating possible solutions for the Syrian crisis,” the Kurdish politician explained. “However, excluding the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) from these talks is a huge mistake.”

Muslim believes that “the SDF is one of the critical players,” whose endorsement would be required for any lasting agreement. He added that holding peace talks “without any participation from the SDF won’t lead to an actual solution.”

The Syrian Democratic Forces are a polyethnic alliance, including Kurdish, Arab, and Assyrian units. US officials believe that the SDF is one of their most effective allies in the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS).

The Astana talks will take place in Kazakhstan’s capital on January 23, bringing together representatives from the Syrian regime and the armed opposition. Negotiators aim to build on a nationwide ceasefire that has largely held despite incessant outbreaks of violence.

“One of our priorities is reaching a truce agreement in order to stop the bloodshed in Syria,” Muslim stated. “A ceasefire would be the main accomplishment, and we won’t aspire for more from the Astana talks.”

“Finding a solution for the Syrian crisis cannot come from Astana,” the Kurdish leader concluded. “The real Syrian political solution must come from power centers [in Syria].”

Link to Article - Video:

http://aranews.net/2017/01/kurdish-lead ... e-mistake/

[Anthea]

Turkey: Syria Peace Talks 'Serious Diplomatic Success'

Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Wednesday this week's Syrian peace talks in Kazakhstan were a "serious diplomatic success."

Turkey, Russia and Iran brokered the two days of meetings in Astana with Syrian government and rebel delegates, agreeing in the end that they would monitor a partial cease-fire in Syria and support efforts to find a political solution to the country's conflict.

Yildirim said that solution should involve a new Syrian government "representing all factions."

One sticking point in previous peace talks has been the role President Bashar al-Assad would play in a new government. The rebels want him to leave power, but his supporters, including Russia, want him to stay.

A statement at the conclusion of the Astana talks said the Syrian sides should meet against next month in Geneva. Members of the Syrian opposition groups at the talks expressed doubts about the trilateral mechanism to ensure compliance with the cease-fire.

“We are always skeptical about such countries,” said Issam Alrayyes, spokesman for the Free Syria Army’s Southern Front. “I mean, mainly Iran. For sure Russia. But we hope this time that Russia is taking a different role.”

Syrian opposition delegation leader Muhammad Alloush gave Russia a proposal for a comprehensive truce and said he expects an answer within a week.

Syrian government support

The Syrian government, backed by Russia and Iran, welcomed the trilateral plan, but made clear the government will push ahead with a military offensive against rebels just outside Damascus.

“So, the issue here is not about who is happy and who is not happy,” said Bashar al-Jaafari, the Syrian government’s government negotiator and ambassador to the United Nations. “The issue is that finally we have a consensus called ‘final communique’ or ‘final declaration’ agreed upon by everybody.”

The rebel delegation, largely backed by Turkey, refused direct talks with the Syrian government, deflating hopes for a breakthrough. Some rebel groups, weren't even invited — seen as being too linked to jihadist organizations.

United Nations special envoy Staffan de Mistura says with so many parties fighting in Syria, including extremists, finding progress between the government and rebels is difficult.

“Expecting the international community to actually come up with a miracle in a context like this and a divided Security Council is actually a little bit unfair to call a failure," he said. "But, rather quite a challenge.”

The two sides met at the opening of the Astana Process talks on Monday but exchanged no words and sat at opposite ends of a massive round table. After the opening ceremony, they communicated only through intermediaries who shuttled between their separate rooms.

Both sides this week have accused the other of cease-fire violations. The truce, brokered by Russia, Iran and Turkey, last month has been repeatedly marred by fighting. The cease-fire also didn't cover the entire country, and the Damascus government said it will continue attacks against what it called terrorist groups — mainly those allied with al-Qaida.

Astana or Geneva?

“There’s an element of theatrics to it,” says Noah Bonsey, the International Crisis Group's senior analyst on Syria. “I think in so far as there has been real substantive discussion here in Astana, it’s been between the Turkish, Iranian, and Russian delegations. We don’t know the full content of those discussions, we don’t know how much they really got into what would be required to enforce the cease-fire on the ground, to make it truly national, to cover more of the country, to be better observed by both sides.”

The Astana talks on Syria were the first such talks brokered by Russia, Turkey, and Iran. Some analysts say concerns that the Astana peace effort could overtake the more prominent negotiations in Geneva are overblown.

“Did we just witness here in Kazakhstan the beginning of a new diplomatic platform distinct from that of Geneva or will this simply be an introduction to sort of energize Geneva talks, or something in between? I think the in-between is more likely,” says Bonsey.

Kazakhstan hosted Syrian opposition talks in 2015 and the U.N. sponsored several rounds of negotiations that included the United States and produced short-lived cease-fires. Russia and Turkey invited the U.S. to the Astana talks but the State Department said President Donald Trump’s administration was too busy with the transition to take part.

Instead, the U.S. ambassador in Kazakhstan attended as an observer.

Rebels at Astana say they will not attend the next meeting in Geneva, expected February 8, if the current cease-fire fails to hold.

http://www.voanews.com/a/turkey-syria-p ... 91384.html