Last week witnessed two important events. The first is the signing of the Idleb Agreement in Sochi by Russia and Turkey based on Astana's formula. The second is the Zionist aggression on targets in the province of Latakia that led, among other losses, to downing of a Russian reconnaissance aircraft and the killing of 15 Russian military servicemen on board.
A few hours ago [18 September 2018], a statement was issued by the Syrian Negotiating Commission on its position on the recent Russian-Turkish agreement. In what follows is our position on that statement:
Today's summit in Sochi [17th September, 2018] between the Russian and Turkish presidents marked an important and significant step forward towards ending terrorism in Syria as well as towards consolidating the political solution to the crisis. The fourth de-escalation zone has gained greater momentum by becoming co-sponsored by Russia and Turkey, and this will help to get rid of the internationally classified terrorist groups more rapidly. This process will take place in accordance with new ways and methods different from what has been followed in other regions, for several considerations, the most important of which:
The propaganda campaign concerning the ongoing preparations for the restoration of Idleb governorate to the authority of the Syrian state, is continuing and expanding under the banner of caring for the civilians. It is clear that this campaign – in which all the forces of obstruction are involved from the United States to its regional allies, to some Syrian opposition forces – aims to prevent the elimination of the Terrorist organization of Al-Nusra Front, and this is meant to perpetuate the abnormal situation in Idlib, allowing Syria to remain hostage to Western countries, their mined solutions and their own reconstruction projects, to try to freeze the status quo, leading to division and fragmentation, blocking any gaining of the antecedent accrued benefits from the path of Astana to go on toward a political solution.
The political developments in the Syrian crisis; the overall reactions and effects that followed during the seven years; and the internal, regional and international balances of forces, have destined the political solution to the Syrian crisis to be necessarily a consensual solution.
The task of constitutional reform has been, and remains, a national task that imposes itself on the agenda in the context of working towards a comprehensive and consensual political solution in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 2254. Hence, the formation of the Constitutional Committee, according to the agreed outputs of Sochi Intra-Syrian National Conference, is absolutely necessary, as it is the guarantee of the desired process of change that is necessary to resolve all the tasks before the country, from ending the humanitarian catastrophe, up to the complete and ultimate eradication of terrorism.
The process of new international polarization between the rising powers and the declining powers is becoming evident day by day. The issue of USA withdrawal is getting deeper and deeper, from the Korean crisis and the China Sea up to the floundering in Iran's nuclear file.
After repeated statements by the president of the united states, about the imminent withdrawal of US forces from Syria, there were frequent talk of the arrival of Arab and European forces, as alternative to US forces stationed in the north of Syria. Moreover, media reports indicated that French troops have already arrived to some locations.
About one week went by, since the failed Western aggression against Syria, but very soon thereafter things returned back on track, heading to the activation of the triad (Geneva, Astana, Sochi), which was an evident matter at Lavrov's meeting with De Mistura on April 20.
The leadership of the Moscow Platform was briefed by its representatives within the Syrian Negotiating Commission (SNC) on the proceedings of the last meeting of the Commission held during the period from 16 to 19 April 2018 in the Saudi capital city of Riyadh, and in view of the rapid developments witnessed in the Syrian file, especially after what happened in the eastern Ghouta and Afrin, and after the US-French-British aggression, Moscow platform considered it necessary to inform the Syrian public opinion of its assessment of the latest meeting of SNC, which is supposed to play a serious role in reaching a political solution that the Syrian disaster will not end without. This evaluation can be summarized in the following points:
