Baladi News - Journals
The special envoy to Syria has suggested ending the Astana talks on the future of the country, promoting the U.N.-led Geneva talks.
“The U.S. view is let’s pull the plug on Astana,” envoy James Jeffrey said at a briefing in Washington on Dec. 3, claiming that the Astana parties — Russia, Turkey, and Iran — have failed to advance efforts for a Syria constitutional committee at a meeting last week.
Jeffrey said the United States would propose ending the competitor to the Geneva talks when U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura departs his seat at the end of the year.
“Our suggestion would be we do not continue with the rather strange Sochi/Astana initiative.”
Referring to the Astana talks, Jeffrey said “Is it a stalemate? Yes. But in terms of a breakthrough… I still think the chances are not great, I would say they’re better now than they were three months ago or six months ago.”
It is very clear that the Damascus regime, the Russians and Iranians want to see the ‘three Rs,’” Jeffrey said.
Jeffrey credited the parties to the Oct. 27 Istanbul summit — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Emmanuel Macron, Russian President Vladimir Putin — with having negotiated and sustained a de-escalation agreement for Idlib.
Sources: Hurriyet Daily