Russia Not Ruling Out New Guarantors to Syrian Ceasefire
19:13 24.01.2017(updated 19:14 24.01.2017)
Russia does not rule out that some other countries may become the new guarantors of the Syrian ceasefire but they must have real influence over the armed opposition, Alexander Lavrentyev, the head of Russian delegation to the Astana talks said Tuesday.
ASTANA (Sputnik) – According to a joint statement of Russia, Iran and Turkey issued following Syrian peace talks in Astana, the countries agreed to create a trilateral group on monitoring the Syrian ceasefire.
"I do not rule out that in certain circumstances there may be new guarantors but these countries must have a real influence on some of the armed opposition groups who control parts of Syrian territory," Lavrentyev told reporters.
He declined to give a direct answer whether the United States met these requirements.
"But obviously we would welcome the US inclusion in the Syrian settlement, a more active role of the US," Lavrentyev added.
The Syria talks were held in Astana on January 23-24. They were initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who proposed establishing in Astana a site of the Syrian peace process in addition to Geneva. The proposal was supported by the presidents of Turkey and Kazakhstan.
© Sputnik
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