US, Allies Lack ‘Legitimacy’ to Be Involved in Syria Talks, Says Janice Kortkamp

The presidents of Iran, Turkey and Russia have met in the Turkish capital of Ankara to discuss matters of common interest, especially regional issues and the ongoing fight against terrorists in Syria. In a joint statement issued at the end of the meeting on Wednesday, Iran’s Hassan Rouhani and his Russian and Turkish counterparts, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan reaffirmed their commitment to work toward achieving a sustainable ceasefire between warring sides in Syria and bringing peace and stability to the country.

They also emphasized their “strong and continued commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity, territorial integrity and non-sectarian character of Syria.” Press TV has talked to Janice Kortkamp, independent researcher and journalist, as well as Brent Budowsky, columnist at The Hill, to get their opinion on this issue.  

Kortkamp believes the most positive development of this summit was the emphasis on maintaining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. 

 “The sovereignty of Syria needs to be recognized first and foremost,” she said, adding that the Syrians should be the ones that decide who should be involved in the political solutions going forward. 

Therefore, she stated, any party that does not acknowledge that Syria is a sovereign independent nation should not be involved in negotiations to settle the crisis in Syria.

Kortkamp further opined that the United States and its Western allies do not have the “legitimacy” to be involved in any political process relating to Syria given the fact that they were the ones who manufactured the war.

She also expressed doubt that there is much enthusiasm on the part of the Syrian government for involving the West in any economic recovery or additional diplomacy.

Meanwhile, Brent Budowsky, the other panelist on the program, noted it is too early to assess the effectiveness of this summit, arguing that other countries need to get involved in order to reach a “real political solution.”

 “So I would hope over time other countries would be part of it, I would hope that there will be a full-scale political solution, I would hope that the countries at the summit and the United States and Europe could be all part of the humanitarian and economic package once violence stops for good,” the analyst added. 

He also maintained that all parties within Syria should be involved in the political solution, emphasizing that a “multilateral effort” from outside is needed to improve the life of the Syrian people through a substantial amount of economic and humanitarian aid.

According to the analyst, the sovereignty of Syria should reside in the Syrian people, stressing that they should all be brought into “a broad, national reconciliation.”

R.S