Lavrov reveals the secrets of a Russian-US understanding on Syria in 2013
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow and Washington were close to reaching an understanding on Syria in 2013, but Washington’s lack of separation between the terrorists of Al Nusra Front and political opposition has marred matters.
“May I remind you that before the creation of the Astana formula of the Syrian settlement at the end of 2015, there was no dialogue between the government and the real opposition in Syria, because the only opposition that the West was credible in”, Lavrov said at the Paris II Peace Forum.
That time they were immigrants living in Istanbul, Riyadh, Europe and the USA”.
“Did you know that before that happened, in 2013, we were very close to reaching an understanding with the United States on how to resolve the Syrian conflict.
The agreement we made with (former US Secretary of State) John Kerry and accepted by the Syrian government was that the Syrian Air Force would never be used in the war and that its fighter jets would not fly at all, and that any operations by the US Air Force and the Russian Air Force should be coordinated between us, In other words, the understanding was that Russia and the United States had the right to veto each other’s movements and operations in Syria.
The only condition for the agreement to enter into force was for the United States to separate political opposition from Al Nusra terrorists, but they never did and will never do so.
The armed conflict in Syria has been going on since 2011.
Russia, Iran and Turkey have become guarantors of the ceasefire, and have actively joined the settlement efforts.
During this time, Syria defeated the terrorists almost entirely, initiated a political settlement, repatriated refugees, and recovered part of the war-damaged infrastructure.
A Constitutional Committee comprising the opposition, government and civil society forces was recently formed and its first meeting was held on 30 October in Geneva.
