Syrian journalist: next round of Astana no different from predecessors
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – A Syrian journalist stated that the Astana talks that will be postponed until next summer are nothing more than discussions between Russia on one side and Turkey and Iran on the other, in light of a lack of progress that can be built upon in the future.
Journalist Mohamed Eid, who lives in the UAE, said that the results of Astana will follow the same approach that is currently applied outside the framework specified in UN Security Council Resolution 2254, and the new round will not take a different track than the other rounds.
He added that there is no transparency and clarity about the final outcome of the political solution, and that the matter goes beyond establishing political paths that are alternative and more compatible with Russian goals.
On Tuesday, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry announced that negotiations on the Syrian settlement in the Kazakh capital Nur-Sultan will be held next summer, instead of the previously set date in May, due to the outbreak of coronavirus.
In three years, Russia, Turkey, and Iran have held 15 rounds Astana talks, which affected the hostilities between government forces and opposition groups in northwestern Syria, according to Eid.
Eid believes that the talks provide a military and diplomatic space for Russia to manage the crisis, although it is not likely that the sixteenth round of Astana could lead to practical results within the framework of a political solution.
Eid also believes that the return of violations of the de-escalation zone in Idlib and the targeting of humanitarian crossings coincided with the Biden administration’s arrival to power in the United States.
He considers any political solution to the Syrian situation impossible in the future, away from a real American role on the ground, and not only as an observer.
He pointed out that the work of the Constitutional Committee is still stalled, and is moving away from drafting a new constitution that aims mainly to avoid holding presidential elections in 2021 under the supervision of the United Nations.
However, the Syrian government will hold elections on schedule and under its supervision only next month, he said.