Syria ready for truce, Assad stays, US is left out

https://www.debka.com/syria-ready-for-truce-assad-stays-us-is-left-out/


Syria ready for truce, Assad stays, US is left out
 Dec 29, 2016 @ 16:47 Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Hizballah, Iran, John Kerry, Syrian truce, Turkey, Vladimir Putin


President Vladimir Putin has announced that the Syrian government and rebels have signed a truce deal and are ready to begin peace talks. The ceasefire begins Thursday, Dec. 289, at midnight local time. The deal excludes the Islamic State the ex-Nusra Front and all groups linked to them. He did not say which rebel groups were covered.
We have been waiting for this event for a long time and working very hard, said, Putin at a meeting with foreign and defense ministers. He said the two sides had signed three documents:

The first document covers the ceasefire; the second is a set of measures to monitor the ceasefire, and the third is a statement of readiness to start peace negotiations on the Syrian settlement.

Putin noted that the Syrian deal was fragile and required special attention and patience and constant contact with the partners.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said earlier that Turkey and Russia would act as guarantors under the plan. The two countries back opposing sides in the conflict, which has raged for more than five years. If true, and if the truce deal is respected, it could end a six-year civil war that has killed potentially more than 430,000 and forced around 11 million from their homes.


debkafile’s sources add: The Russian-Turkish initiative, to which Iran is almost certainly co-opted, brings the Syria war the closest it has ever been to conclusion in more than five years of bloodshed. Its success will be tested at midnight on Thursday, Sept. 29, and the coming peace talks in Kazakhstan.

Vladimir Putin pulled off a gamble by stepping up direct Russian military intervention in the brutal conflict 16 months ago and using his air force to swing the tide of war in favor of victory for the Bashar Assad government – which was his endgame.

Whether by coincidence or design, Putin’s announcement of the Syrian truce deal landed on a hectic international stage. US President Barack Obama and a group of senators weighed in Wednesday with a call for fresh sanctions as punishment for alleged Russian hackers’ interference in the presidential election campaign, although many Western cyber experts note the absence of concrete evidence of this.

At the end of the day, outgoing US Secretary of State John Kerry delivered his parting shot against Israel in a 1 hour, 17 minute tirade devoted entirely to the elusive Israel-Palestinian peace.
His content and the bitterness of his tone indicated how far the Obama administration was out of touch with the latest Middle East developments and the ebbing of US influence on major events.

Four important points stand out in the Putin Syrian ceasefire announcement:

1. Syria cannot celebrate final peace – or even a total end of hostilities.  Even if the 62,000 fighters of the seven main rebel groups and government forces truly lay down arms from Thursday midnight, the war against the big jihadist groups, the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda’s Syrian franchise, the Nusra Front, will go on.

In the face of it, the situation of the jihadist groups has taken a turn for the worst, since the Syrian government army and its backers will now be free to focus on smashing them for good. On the other hand, some of the fringe rebel groups may reject the truce and peace deal on the table and prefer to carry on fighting in the ranks of the Islamist groups, bringing their arms with them.

2.  The incoming Trump administration in Washington is presented with a serious challenge in terms of world influence by the Russian president’s success in halting warfare in all parts of Syria after a breakthrough Russian-backed government victory in Aleppo. Russia has by these feats hauled itself up to a new, enhanced strategic standing in the Middle East.  

Russian foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, said on Thursday that Trump’s administration would be welcome to join the Syrian peace process once he takes office on Jan. 20.

This was a patronizing invitation to the United States to come along to the historic peace event as just another player and not as a global superpower. Donald Trump is most unlikely to accept the invitation, unless he and Putin come to some quiet arrangement in advance.

3.  The continued presence of Syrian forces in Syria is an important issue in relation to foreign military participation in the war. Putin indicated that he was amenable to a partial Russian military drawdown Thursday when he met with his foreign and defense ministers to confer on the next steps in Syria. Defense Minister Andrew Shoigu is quoted as sayomg that Russia was ready to begin drawing down its deployment in Syria, which consists of several dozen fixed-wing aircraft, along with helicopters, ships and special forces soldiers.

“All conditions have been created for the reduction of the Russian group in Syria,” Shoigu said, without elaborating on how large the force reduction could be, or which forces may be withdrawn.

The Russians were pointing the way for Tehran to start withdrawing its own and Hizballah and other Shiite forces from Syria, a demand also made by Turkey, co-guarantor with Russia of the Syrian truce.
Iran will most likely pretend not to hear these messages, at least in the early stages of the process of de-escalating the Syrian war.

4. There is now no question that Bashar Assad remains in power in Damascus. Obama’s demand for his removal was never timely or realistic.

https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/74908/syria-says-us-turkish-troops-must-withdraw.html

SYRIA SAYS US, TURKISH TROOPS MUST WITHDRAW 'IMMEDIATELY'

Syria has demanded the immediate withdrawal of all foreign forces from its territories and stated that it reserves the right to take action if they remain inside the country. "The United States and Turkey maintain an illegal military presence in northern Syria," Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem said in his address to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Saturday.

HEATING UP!!! SEE HIGHLIGHTS
https://www.blacklistednews.com/article/74903/israel-believed-behind-overnight-attack-on-irans-land-bridge-from-iraq-to.html
ISRAEL BELIEVED BEHIND OVERNIGHT ATTACK ON IRAN'S 'LAND BRIDGE' FROM IRAQ TO SYRIA 
Published: September 28, 2019[url=https://www.addtoany.com/share#url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.blacklistednews.com%2Farticle%2F74903%2Fisrael-believed-behind-overnight-attack-on-irans-land-bridge-from-iraq-to.html&title=Israel Believed Behind Overnight Attack On Iran%27s %27Land Bridge%27 From Iraq To Syria%C2%A0]undefined[/url]

SOURCE: ZERO HEDGE

Another mystery airstrike was conducted over Iraq late Friday night, after a summer that's witnessed Baghdad blame Israel for a series of unprecedented violations of its airspace to carry out alleged strikes on Iran-linked Shia militias in the country.
This newest incident involved an attack on Imam Ali base near the border with Syria, in an area which Israeli defense officials have voiced concern Iran is utilizing Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) to aid Syrian forces in establishing a security corridor stretching along the Syrian-Iraq border, or so-called Iranian "land bridge".

Currently there's a move in Iraqi parliament to order all American troops in the country expelled, given the widespread accusation the US coalition is turning a blind eye to the intensifying Israeli strikes.IAF file image
Israeli media has taken keen interest in each new 'mystery' attack on Iraq of late after last month Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed in public comments that he's been forced to "defend" Israel's security and "interests" even in faraway Iraq.
The Times of Israel described of the overnight Friday attack:

Quote :

Unknown aircraft reportedly struck bases belonging to Iranian-backed militias in Iraq close to the Syrian border late Friday night.
The Shiite fighters in the Boukamal region responded with anti-aircraft fire, according to local media. There were no reported casualties.
The area has been hit by several airstrikes in recent weeks that some have attributed to Israel.

Earlier in the week Israeli media featured satellite images released by the private Israeli intelligence company ImageSat International which had revealed extensive construction underway on military compounds along the border.

Quote :

ImageSat Intl.@ImageSatIntl





[ltr]#Followup #Thread, 1/4 - Despite airstrikes in #Albukamal, #Syria, construction still ongoing within "Imam Ali" base and the #Iran|ian crossing.#ISI #IMINT #VISINT #Satellite #Intelligence #ImamAli #military #defence #defense #Hizballah #Hezbollah #iraq #militias #ISIS #SDF[/ltr]

Currently there's a move in Iraqi parliament to order all American troops in the country expelled, given the widespread accusation the US coalition is turning a blind eye to the intensifying Israeli strikes.



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Notably the attack came on the same day Iraq announced re-opening of the key al-Qa’im border crossing in Boukamal, which had once been controlled by ISIS.
Should there be proof or confirmation that Israel was indeed behind the overnight airstrikes, it could signal the start of a more aggressive Israeli campaign to ensure pro-Iranian forces can't establish bases along the Syrian border. Such Israeli operations are likely to receive Washington's tacit blessing.
Last month The New York Times confirmed that at least some among a spate of airstrikes on Shia militia compounds in and around Baghdad were carried out by Israel.
[url=https://www.blacklistednews.com/s3/files/inline-images/Iran-Land-Bridge new_0.png?itok=dSDiPX2G][/url]
The US and Israel have long sought to thwart establishment of a continuous Tehran-Baghdad-Damascus-Beirut land bridge.
This after Netanyahu said during an Aug. 30 Facebook campaign live stream event to political supports that “I am doing everything to defend our nation’s security from all directions: in the north facing Lebanon and Hezbollah, in Syria facing Iran and Hezbollah, unfortunately in Iraq as well facing Iran. We are surrounded by radical Islam led by Iran.”
Similar attacks by unknown aircraft (involving either drones or jets) on Western Iraq and the border area came on Sept. 9, 19, and 22 — resulting in dozens of total casualties.
Currently there's a move in Iraqi parliament to order all American troops in the country expelled, given the widespread accusation the US coalition is turning a blind eye to the intensifying Israeli strikes.

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