US envoy on the Syrian conflict James Jeffrey said on Thursday that the US expects Russia to be increasingly willing to cooperate with the US on the future of Syria, saying he believes Russia is getting frustrated with President Assad.
Jeffrey cited Russian media coverage as showing indication of more flexibility on Syria’s post-war constitutional committee, saying that “it’s very clear at this point to Russia that they’re not going to get a military victory.“
That would broadly depend on how Russia is calculating victory. The Assad government has survived the war, which is certainly something that many didn’t expect earlier in the conflict. What Syria will look like in the long run ultimately depends on the new constitution.
Which is where the US and Russia split is coming from. The US has insisted any post-war scenario would mandate full regime change, forbidding Assad and others from ever running for office. Russia, however, has said such details should be left up to Syria’s voters.
Jeffrey’s comments suggest that the US is still holding out for better terms. This may also put the continued US involvement in Syria, which President Trump insists is just about oil, in a different context, one keeping the US in the conversation at the UN for when the war finally ends.
The AUS (Un)State Department has been wrong about everything Syria related for many years. The idea they will be right this time is ludicrous.
Comical. The war isnt dragging on. The SAA have conquered 90% of the country.
Israel should be stopped attacking Syria. There is only Idlib province still to be liberated. Elections should determine the kind of government.
And eastern Syria.
How do you define Eastern Syria? Towns, roads? I am trying to get a clearer picture where exactly everyone is along Syria-Iraq border and Syria Jordan border. Al-Tanf is clear on Jordan border. There is an oil facility in North-East on Iraqi border. Any American presence in Deir Azzor?
Kurds are no longer the factor. Oil fields are damaged, nobody wants to invest.
It’s the place where the US has troops holding Syria’s oilfields. Those troops need to get out as they were not invited by Syria.
“The US has insisted any post-war scenario would mandate full regime change, forbidding Assad and others from ever running for office. Russia, however, has said such details should be left up to Syria’s voters.”
An example of how the two country’s differ on how to influence other country’s elections. How dare Russia think the voters should decide. USA! USA!
Hahahahahaha!
Total BS from a US propagandist with an impossible task: try to make the Syrian clusterfork into a Russian defeat and a US victory.
Coat that pig in lipstick an inch deep … it won’t work. But a marvelously brave attempt!
“Now get you to my lady’s chamber, and tell her, let
her paint an inch thick, to this favour she must
come; make her laugh at that.”
What a delusion. It is embarrassing how the failed politicians are still around giving their opinions. But then this is their narrative and they do best they can with it. Getting out if narrative is well outside of his pay grade.
Russia has already won. And not Russia alone. Turkey, Iraq and Iran contributed a great deal to outmaneuver neocon plans and designs.
Neocons are not smart enough for this chess game. They gave not figured out how they were suckered into Kurdish project to control Turkey-Iraq border. And then realizing that without US intervention Kurds were thin in the ground, insuring Turkish pressure, and miscalculation that Turkey was going to be US stand in. And utter shock when Assad and Russia took over formerly SDF area, with Russia and Turkey in control of 10-30 km border area. Then after Assad and Russia took part of Idlib — and Turkey was incensed — neocon universe exploded with joy. But Turkey sealed border preventing refugee manipulation, and coming in to “help”. And help it did. In a deal with Russia, in addition to already controlled M-5 highway, Russia and Turkey patrol M-4. Turkey is in business of getting militant groups and their families under Turkish control, and away from West supported HTS, and their special ops/funding arm, White Helmets. Process is accelerating as Turkey is bringing up arms to beef up militants against HTS. Those militants that stick around HTS will be wiled out in internal conflict.
What poor, helpless diplomat does not understand is how diplomacy works: Russia saying publicly that Assad should show flexibility is a message to negotiators in Idlib to stick with Russian-Turkish plan, as they have the power to give them some concessions, not West and HTS. And concessions for groups that lay down arms are rather standard, it has been done through reconciliation teams for a long time.
As cities are coming back to life, and many donations from all parts of globe are trickling in — the stability is settling in. US reliance on UN is rather sad. The moment Constitution committee met in Geneva — US put all minds of conditions. So what? Committee is still working — as before. Now it is time to wait out on Idlib, where HTS will be abandoned peacefully — with its soldiers abandoning the command, or by force. These are patient games, forcing loser to either stand up or concede.
As for Syrian governance, I doubt very much that Assad wants to stay on. He is a doctor, his wife suffering from breast cancer, and has young kids. By now, the war hardened government and military have plenty of credible candidates to provide unifying personalities. Nobody liked ISIS, and Kurdish secessionists under YPG are humiliated. Top Sunni, Shia and Christian leadership throughout the multidimensional conflict remained loyal to the Government. It will not be unusual for Assad to stay until elections are completed, without him being a candidate.
But there is still much work to do before elections. US position in the Middle East is deteriorating, as Saudi events attest. Why would Russia be in a hurry.
US envoy James Jeffrey is a hard core neocon regime change guy, who has led the US into disaster in Syria just like his cohorts have everywhere else they’ve touched.
He rose under the neocons of Bush, but he also served making a mess of Iraq for several years under Hillary as Sec of State. This only shows that what the Democrats call “hawks” is no different than what they label neocon when Republicans do the same things.
And they intend to continue regardless who is in charge. All Trump can do — and he had on number of occasions done it — force them to concede when their bloated ideas fail spectacularly.
This time, the delusional fellow still thinks there is some wiggle room.
The problem is — such failed neocons are never taken out for good. Like Abrams — they are always back.