Walid al-Moallem told journalists about the ceasefire plan after meeting in Moscow with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. Al-Moallem did not divulge details of the plan, which would contain "measures to enforce security" in Aleppo, 190 miles (310 km) from the Syrian capital.
"As a result of our confidence in the Russian position and its role in stopping the Syrian bloodshed, today I submitted to minister Lavrov a plan for security arrangements that have to do with the city of Aleppo," said al-Moallem. "I asked him to make necessary arrangements to guarantee its implementation and specify the zero hour for military operations to cease."
Al-Moallem said that if Lavrov's efforts were successful, the cease-fire plan could be used as a model for other parts of Syria, where the conflict between President Bashar Assad's government and opposition forces has claimed over 100,000 lives.
The meeting between Russian and Syrian sides was part of a final diplomatic push ahead of a peace conference dubbed Geneva 2, which opens Wednesday in Montreux, Switzerland. On Thursday, Lavrov met with the foreign minister of Iran, Syria's staunchest regional backer. Lavrov strongly urged the West to invite Tehran to participate in next week's peace conference.
But prospects for the talks, the first between the warring sides in Syria since the start of the conflict, are dim as each party shows no inclination for compromise.
Al-Moallem's comments came on the same day that Syria's main Western-backed opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition, will meet in Istanbul to decide whether to participate in the peace talks. The coalition has remained adamant that the ouster of Assad is a condition for any deal, and Al-Moallem's overtures in Moscow appeared to be an attempt to coax the group into attending the talks.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/Syria-proposes-prisoner-exchange/articleshow/28952263.cms
17/1/14
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- Russia, Syria determined to hold Geneva-II as scheduled: Lavrov
MOSCOW, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Moscow and Damascus believed no one could undermine the peace conference on Syria scheduled for later this month, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday.
Speaking to reporters after his talks with visiting Syrian counterpart Walid al-Moallem, Lavrov expressed Moscow's concern Syrian opposition group the National Coalition might attempt to delay the peace conference, known as Geneva-II, due to internal arguments.
"This goes beyond any reasonable (behavior)," he said.
Moscow was also worried the opposition still had not received a formal invitation to attend the conference, Lavrov said.
Meanwhile, Lavrov said he believed Damascus would demonstrate political will and restraint and would not let anyone undermine the conference scheduled for Jan. 22 in Montreux, Switzerland.
Al-Moallem confirmed the Syrian government would not let the conference be undermined, and accused the United States of supporting terrorist groups operating in Syria.
"How may the U.S. condemn terrorism in Iraq, while supporting the same terrorists in Syria. This is an anti-Syrian conspiracy," al-Moallem said.
Lavrov said Russia would continue humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees inside and outside Syria, but added practical humanitarian operations required coordination with Syrian opposition groups as well.
He said the attempts to use humanitarian issues for justification of "humanitarian intervention" in Syria were unacceptable and the attempts would undermine the Geneva-II conference.
Moscow and Damascus reconfirmed their determination to implement the chemical disarmament of Syria according to the agreed schedule.
"We agreed and confirmed to obey the coordinated timing of implementation of the task set, with providing security and solving logistic issues," Lavrov told reporters.
http://english.cntv.cn/20140117/105408.shtml
17/1/14
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Syrian Regime Offers Prisoner Swap with Opposition...
ReplyDeleteThe Syrian regime is ready to offer a prisoner exchange with rebels, according to Foreign Minister Walid Muallem.
Speaking in Moscow, Muallem also said he had presented a ceasefire plan for the second city Aleppo to his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, the BBC informs.
The moves came as the opposition Syrian National Coalition meets in Istanbul to decide whether to go to next week's peace conference. The coalition is under Western pressure to participate in the Geneva-2 talks, but many of its members have already pulled out.
Lavrov and US Secretary of State John F. Kerry this week called on both sides in the protracted Syrian conflict to work toward a limited ceasefire, a prisoner exchange and improved access for humanitarian aid in advance of next week's meeting.
The so-called Geneva-2 conference is meant as a follow-up to one held in June 2012, where world powers issued a call for a Syrian transition government.
- See more at: http://www.novinite.com/articles/157354/Syrian+Regime+Offers+Prisoner+Swap+with+Opposition#sthash.vEBBS7ZE.dpuf
17/1/14
Syria offers Aleppo truce as rebels argue over talks....
ReplyDelete(Reuters) - The Syrian government, preparing for peace talks with rebels next week, handed the Russian co-sponsors of the conference a proposal on Friday for a ceasefire in Aleppo and an exchange of prisoners.
There was no response from President Bashar al-Assad's disparate opponents, whose very attendance at the talks due to start on Wednesday in Switzerland remained in doubt - prompting an appeal from the United States, which tried to assure them that negotiations would lead to Assad's departure from power.
After nearly three years of war, and over 100,000 deaths, however, Assad's forces have been making gains, helped by in-fighting among the rebels as well as support from Iran and new arms and equipment from Russia.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem, visiting Moscow, said he gave Russian officials a plan for a truce in Aleppo, Syria's biggest city, where government forces have been unable to dislodge rebels over the past year. He also said Damascus was ready to exchange prisoners, something rebels want...........http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/17/us-syria-crisis-idUSBREA0G0U420140117?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews
17/1/14