Iran to Join Syria Talks in Vienna
Iran’s foreign minister will join top diplomats from the United States, Russia and other major world powers in Vienna on Friday to discuss ways forward in Syria, the Washington Post reports.
The presence of Iran, alongside Russia, increases political support for beleaguered Syrian president Bashar al-Assad. Both Tehran and Moscow have strategic military interests in Syria, and are set on maintaining their respective footholds regardless of political outcomes.
Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif‘s decision to attend the talks comes just one day after meeting his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, to discuss the ongoing crisis. The U.S. had made clear on Monday that a seat at the gathering in Vienna would be open for Iran if they chose to attend.
The talks in Vienna on Friday will bring together Assad’s biggest backers and most avid opponents in an attempt to bring an end to Syria’s bloody civil war, now well into its fifth year.
Russia Opposes U.N. Barrel Bomb Resolution
Russia is against a draft resolution on the use of barrel bombs in Syria currently making the rounds at the United Nations, the Associated Press reports.
Russia’s deputy U.N. ambassador Petr Iliichev said the draft, which is being sponsored by Britain, France and Spain, comes at a “delicate moment” and could potentially jeopardize the international talks scheduled for the end of the week on how to restore calm to the war-torn country.
Britain’s U.N. ambassador Matthew Rycroft said the draft would be circulated to all members of the Security Council “in the coming days.”
“I think it’s important to ensure that indiscriminate bombing is stopped because it kills so many people, it terrorizes so many people and it’s one of the causes of the flood of refugees and migrants out of Syria,” he said.
U.S. Encourages E.U. Involvement in Syria
As the U.S. continues to step up its military efforts to combat the self-proclaimed Islamic State group (ISIS), it has suggested that European powers might consider joining combat operations against the jihadist militants, the Associated Press reports.
In his testimony to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Wednesday, President Obama’s special envoy to the international coalition against ISIS, retired Gen. John Allen, said he expects as time goes on, “we may well see our European partners become more kinetically involved in Syria.”
“There may be opportunities in the south as well as in the north where our European coalition partners could in fact play an important role, and I’m thinking special operations,” Allen said.
In his testimony Wednesday, Allen likened Secretary of State John Kerry’s attempt in Vienna at finding a political solution to the ongoing bloodshed in Syria to charting “a course out of hell.”
Recommended Reads
- Reuters: What a Russian ‘Win’ in Syria Would Look Like
- Newsweek: How Many Iranian Forces Are Fighting and Dying in Syria?
- The Guardian: Russia Risks a Repeat of Doomed Afghan War in Syria, Says E.U. Foreign Policy Chief
- PBS: Inside Assad’s Syria
- Syrian Network for Human Rights: Widespread Violations Displace Tens of Thousands of Al Hassaka Residents
Top image: British foreign secretary Philip Hammond (second right), U.S. secretary of state John Kerry (right), and European Union high representative for foreign affairs and security policy Federica Mogherini (left), talk to Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as they wait for Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov (not pictured) for a group picture at the Vienna International Center in Vienna, Austria. Iran sits down with the United States, Russia, Europeans and key Arab states for the first time since the Syrian civil war began to discuss the future of the war-torn country. It will also break ground by bringing President Bashar al-Assad’s main supporter, Iran, to the same table as its regional rivals, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia, who have been backing many of the insurgent groups. (Carlos Barria, Pool Photo via AP, File)