Astana Meeting on Syria to Focus on De-Escalation Zones — Lavrov

MOSCOW-The round of talks on Syria in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana on July 4-5 will be devoted to the concept of creating de-escalation zones, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Monday, Tass reported.

“The round, due to be held in Kazakhstan’s capital, will be devoted – as agreed by the guarantor-countries – to specifying the concept approved at the May 4 round – the concept of setting up de-escalation zones on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic,” Lavrov said. “The concept needs detailed elaboration.” Now all details are being discussed at the level of technical experts, he said.

 “A significant decline in military activities and violence has been recorded in the relevant areas of Syria,” the Russian top diplomat said adding that it was the result of the declaration of de-escalation zones. “I hope that the next round of the Astana talks will positively affect our common efforts aimed at resolving the crisis in Syria and facilitate the UN-sponsored talks that are planned to be held in Geneva after the Astana meeting, in the first half of July,” Lavrov pointed out.

US Expected to Send High-Level Official to Syria Talks in Astana – Kazakhstan

Meantime, Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov said that a high-level US delegate is expected to attend international negotiations on Syrian settlement in Astana next week.

 He noted that Russia, Turkey and Iran, as well as Jordan and UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura, have confirmed their participation at the talks on July 4-5.

“It is expected that the US will also send its high-ranking representative to participate as observers in the next round of negotiations in the Astana process,” Abdrakhmanov said, as quoted by Sputnik.

The minister also added that Russia, Turkey and Iran, as well as Jordan and UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura, have confirmed their participation at international negotiations on Syria in Astana next week.

“We received confirmation of participation by all guarantor states at the level of the Russian president’s and the Russian foreign minister’s special representatives, the deputy foreign ministers of Iran and Turkey,” Kairat Abdrakhmanov told reporters.

Abdrakhmanov added that de Mistura and a Jordanian delegation have both confirmed their participation at the July 4-5 talks in the Kazakh capital as well.

“From the guarantor countries, we are expecting the final confirmation of participation of the delegation of the Syrian government as well as of the Syrian armed opposition in the near future,” Abdrakhmanov told reporters.

At the latest Astana talks on Syria, which took place on May 3-4, Russia, and Iran alongside Turkey — the guarantor states of the Syrian cessation of hostilities — signed a memorandum on the establishment of four de-escalation zones in Syria. The four zones span the northwestern Idlib province and parts of the neighboring Latakia, Hama and Aleppo, the north of the central Homs province, Eastern Ghouta near Damascus, as well as southern Daraa and Quneitra regions..

Abdrakhmanov stated earlier that the United States’ participation at the level of the assistant secretary of state in the talks held in Astana in May showed “the commitment of the new US administration to this process.”

H.M