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World Powers Move for More Talks on Proposed Syrian Political Transition

by Nike Ching December 17, 2015

World powers are gathering in New York on Friday for the third round of talks on a proposed Syrian political transition, weeks before a plan to launch U.N.-mediated talks between the Syrian government and opposition.

The State Department said the line-up of countries invited to the talks is similar to that of previous rounds in Vienna, including Russia and Iran, who are allies of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

"The goal there is to continue to try to better define what we think the political transition and the process itself should look like; to try to put more fidelity on the notion of a cease-fire," said State Department spokesperson John Kirby on Wednesday.

The so-called International Syria Support Group, or ISSG, also hopes to submit a resolution to be endorsed by the U.N. Security Council. This resolution would back a plan for a political transition and proposed cease-fire.

'What is important at this time, as we agreed through Vienna 1 and 2 process, it's important that we should have a nationwide cease-fire as soon as possible," said U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon during an end-of-year news conference on Wednesday.

Geneva Communique

Jessica Ashooh, a Middle East expert from the Atlantic Council, told VOA the key things to watch for in the resolution are the language used to address terrorist groups and if the 2012 Geneva Communique is upheld.

The Geneva Communique was considered to be the road map for the Syrian political process, in which a transitional governing body would be formed, based on mutual consent by the Syrians.

"The Syrian opposition will be getting very nervous if there's any indications in resolution or discussions on Friday that either the U.S. or Russia are considering leaving the consensus of the Geneva Communique in favor of new language on the Syria process," Ashooh said.

Also among the ISSG goals is a plan to draft a terrorist list, which would identify groups that would be barred from the proposed cease-fire, as well as a Syrian opposition group list that would identify participants in the political dialogue with the Syrian regime.

"So all this information will be generalized, will be analyzed by the U.N.," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a news conference after meeting with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Moscow earlier this week.

Secretary Kerry will chair the U.N. Security Council meeting on Friday afternoon. Earlier in Moscow, he indicated the gap between the U.S. and Russia was narrowed, saying "we did reach some common ground today and agreement with respect to the complexity of this issue of terrorist groups."

'The talks on Friday and the resolution that may or may not come out of the talks on Friday really will set the stage for whether or not the Syrian conflict is resolved in a quick manner or whether it remains drawn out,' said Ashooh of the Atlantic Council.