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Russia, Iran, Turkey to hold Syria talks next week: Kazakh FM
ASTANA, Kazakhstan, Nov 19, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Russia, Iran and Turkey will
hold the next round of talks on Syria’s conflict on November 28-29 in the
Kazakh capital Astana, Kazakhstan’s foreign minister said on Monday.
“The participants plan to discuss the current situation in Syria, in
particular in Idlib, creating conditions for the return of refugees and
internally displaced people, and post-conflict reconstruction,” Kairat
Abdrakhmanov said in Astana.
The meeting will be the 11th in the Astana peace process — set up in early
2017 by Russia and Iran, who support President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in
Syria, and opposition backer Turkey.
Abdrakhmanov said representatives of Damascus and armed opposition groups
would take part, but did not specify what level of officials from Russia,
Iran and Turkey would attend.
The Astana process was launched after Russia’s military intervention in
Syria tipped the balance in the regime’s favour. It has gradually eclipsed an
earlier UN-sponsored negotiations framework known as the Geneva process.
This month’s meeting comes with continued violence threatening plans for a
buffer zone around Idlib, the last major opposition stronghold in Syria.
Russia and Turkey agreed in September to set up the buffer zone to avert a
Syrian regime offensive, but jihadists who hold around 70 percent of the area
have refused to withdraw.
Fighting in the area has continued, with jihadists on Friday killing 22
regime fighters in an attack on government forces in the northwest of Hama
province near the planned zone.
BSS/AFP/ARS/1606 hrs