«Vienna»: The Apparent and Latent

A number of signals, however, have preceded the ISSG meeting, clarifying that it was not Russia that pressed to hold it, rather this was by some obstinate countries, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and a few European countries.

Though these intransigents were dying for turning «Vienna» into a place to blow up the political solution of the Syrian crisis, the complete opposite took place: The Joint Statement  of the Russian Federation and the United States of America on Syria was fixed with all its paragraphs (Cessation of Hostilities, Humanitarian Access, and the Political Settlement), along with confirming the timetable already set in the UNSCR 2254, defining an indicatory hypothetical date for the Transitional Period in Syria, and working on turning the existing truce as a permanent one, in addition to deepening the isolation of militants, in terms of being terrorists or not, not only on the positions they take with regard to the political solution and terrorism, in general, rather on the positions by few of them towards Al-Nusra Front, in particular, as this «stance» includes choosing the geographical positioning of this faction or that in Al-Nusra dominated areas.

The most recent Russian activity in this domain is the 5-day ultimatum issued by the Russian Defense Minister to Washington, calling upon the Americans to cooperate in targeting Al-Nusra, its allies, and those who are using the Syrian-Turkish borders as an access for insurgency and funds. This means that there is a clear Russian declaration of intentions to liquidate Al-Nusra and its allies within the coming days or weeks. This is also a simultaneous mix of a cue and a threat  that the Syrian process is going on, with or without Washington; it’s better for the American to join.

What lies behind those attempts in Vienna  meeting  to thwart the Russian- US direction towards the political solution is some illusions obsessing the minds of certain hardliners on different sides, insinuating them that they can make setback in the course of the existing international balance of forces. This, in fact, reflects their inability to understand the realities and the facts that tell that this balance has advanced a lot, and made significant steps ahead, politically, economically and militarily.

As a concrete result, the different obstacles made nothing but the following:

1-The opponents to the political solution are increasingly losing further feet. Their positions are weakened with every new hindrance attempt they make. They are even  becoming «endangered» within the future political scene.

2-With each new obstacle or counterattack against the political solution, the international powers and players supporting that solution, willingly or unwillingly, are becoming more and more obliged to fixing and speeding it up.

This, as a whole, is not only foretelling that the solution is coming closer, rather it is telling the contents of that solution that are becoming objectively much more radical with every obstruction attempt it faces. Overcoming obstacles means implicitly and ultimately overcoming those who are putting them along with their programs, entirely or partially. Those themselves have nothing to introduce to Syria other than capitalist subordination and plunder programs, regardless of their titles and masks.

The upcoming political solution is not only a sketch today. It’s attaining an objective plan with increasingly clearer aspects. 

Kassioun Editorial, Issue No 759, May 22, 2016