No Deal as US-Russia Talks on Syria End

Brahimi: No Military Solution, But No Deal Anytime Soon Either

The latest round of negotiations between the United States and Russia relating to the Syrian Civil War have come to an end, with no breakthrough and no real agreements reached on the situation.

UN Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, who mediated the meeting, said that both the US and Russia appear equally interested in ending the war, and both agree that there is “no military solution” to Syria, but at the same time, he does not believe any deal will be coming any time soon.

The split seems to be on the question of whether the international community will force President Bashar Assad to step down as part of a unity deal, as opposed to the makeup of an interim government being decided by the Syrians themselves.

Brahimi has gotten on board for regime change in recent days, insisting he believes Assad’s family has been in power “too long,” which may itself make continued talks difficult, since the comments alienated both Assad and the Russians.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.