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 forces of obstruction have spared no effort, since the Geneva 1 Communiqué up to the present date, to prevent the political solution. With every step of progress in the political process, and whenever the circumstances became suitable for turning this process into concrete procedures, these forces used to resort to escalation in many forms: military, diplomatic, political and media, to abort the progress.
Syrian people!
The crisis is almost eight years old, and Syrian bloodshed continues as a result of the extremists’ delusions – here and there – of a military resolution of the crisis, and also because of the support of the external forces hostile to the Syrian people for “Daesh” (ISIS), and “Al Nusra” terrorist groups.
The negative atmosphere that followed the eighth round of Geneva has not lasted for more than a few days, as the Russian “dynamo” moved, and the wheel of the political process was hastened, spinning with a new acceleration. The overall political process has been mobilized, through three channels together: (Geneva – Sochi – Astana). The three meetings were scheduled to be held within the next two months, which strikes out the predictions of the “oracles” of the various kinds, who rushed to write obituary notices of Geneva and the political solution.
