Editorial comment: This news seems very important since the U.S., for the first time, is actually cooperating in these peace talks. However, the one thing I object strongly to in this report is the calling of the Syrian war a 'civil war'. It was never anything of the kind. As we probably all know by now it was an aggressive war by rebels created and supported by the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Israel with the very openly stated goal of unseating the democratically elected President Bashar al-Assad. But the fact that Brett McGurk is denouncing the role the previous U.S. administration played in this war is definitely worth paying close attention to. -- SON
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Brett McGurk, a top U.S. official, in Munich peace talks on Syria |
MUNICH, Germany -- Brett
McGurk, a top U.S. official in the anti-Daesh coalition, has voiced
support for Turkey and Russia's leading role in enforcing the cease-fire
in Syria.
Speaking at a panel
discussion in the ongoing Munich Security Conference on Sunday, McGurk
acknowledged shortcomings of the previous U.S. administration in the
last couple of years in de-escalating the violence and brokering a truce
in the region.
"One of the reasons
that process did not succeed as we had hoped is frankly because we were
guarantor and Russia was a guarantor. It turns out when the U.S. is a
guarantor, we don’t have people on the ground, we became a bit of a ping
pong ball to try to control the situation,” he said.
The
U.S. special presidential envoy to the anti-Daesh coalition underlined
Washington’s full support for Turkey’s efforts, and its discussions with
Russia.
"Turkey and Russia are
suitable guarantors and we are looking for a role that the U.S. can come
in to help to reinforce that process through Astana,” he said.
Turkey
and Russia brokered last December a general cease-fire in Syria,
followed by talks in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana among conflict parties
to enforce the cease-fire.
In Astana
talks, Turkey, Russia and Iran agreed to a trilateral mechanism for
observing and ensuring compliance with the cease-fire that went into
effect on Dec. 30.
McGurk said the
Astana process is not an alternative to UN-led peace talks in Geneva for
a political solution to the conflict in Syria.
“The
Astana process is about the mechanics of the cease-fire and making sure
we continue to de-escalate the violence. The Geneva process through UN
Security Council resolution 2254 is the locus of the political process
and leading ultimately to the political transition. I think we have to
keep those parallel tracks, while those are mutually reinforcing,” he
said.
Syria has been locked in a
vicious civil war since early 2011, when the regime of Bashar al-Assad
cracked down on pro-democracy protests -- which erupted as part of the
Arab Spring uprisings -- with unexpected ferocity.
Since
then, more than a quarter of a million people have been killed and more
than 10 million displaced across the war-torn country, according to the
UN, but the Syrian Center for Policy Research puts the death toll at
more than 470,000.
Source: AA.com
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