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Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
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| Information | | |
Derechos | Equipo Nizkor
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09May13
David Cameron to tell Vladimir Putin he wants Britain to host Syria peace conference
After two years of fighting and the loss of more than 70,000 lives, the Prime Minister plans to use meetings with both the Russian and American presidents in coming days to clear the way for London to host a conference attended by all the key players in the growing crisis.
In recent weeks there has been evidence of chemical weapons being used, Israeli missiles have struck Syrian weapons stockpiles, and militants linked to al-Qaeda have become increasingly prominent among rebel factions.
On Thursday night, the leader of the Lebanon-based Hizbollah militia, Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, also claimed that Damascus was about to supply his soldiers with "game-changing weapons," fuelling fears that they could be used against Israel.
On Friday, Mr Cameron is due to hold talks with the Russian President, Vladimir Putin, at his summer residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, before heading to meet Mr Obama in Washington early next week.
Downing Street sources played suggestions that Mr Cameron was acting as a go-between for the two powers - as Margaret Thatcher did during Cold War nuclear disarmament talks - but it is hoped that by seeing both Mr Obama and Mr Putin in such quick succession he may be able to seize the diplomatic initiative.
A senior Downing Street source said the close timing of the Sochi and Washington visits was "coincidental" but "very useful". The source added: "We are interested in trying to put together a Syria conference in London, and this is something that the Prime Minister will be discussing with Putin."
Downing Street yesterday repeated the Government's view that the Syrian regime had used chemical weapons on rebel forces, contradicting claims at the weekend by Carla Del Ponte, a United Nations war crimes official, that they might in fact have been used by Syrian rebel forces. "Our assessment is that chemical weapons use in Syria is very likely to have been initiated by the regime," Mr Cameron's spokesman said.
The Prime Minister's Russian visit follows hints from the Kremlin that it may be willing to sacrifice long-standing support for President Bashar al-Assad in order to avert further bloodshed.
After meeting the US secretary of state, John Kerry, in Moscow on Tuesday, the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said that Russia "was not interested in the fate of certain individuals", but in the "fate of the totality of the Syrian people."
Mr Kerry yesterday stressed that Mr Assad could not be part of any "transitional government" that might arise. Earlier in the week, he had said that was a matter for the Syrian people to decide.
After their Moscow meeting, Mr Kerry and Mr Lavrov spoke of their own desire for an international conference by the end of the month, where both Syrian government officials and rebels would be offered the chance to create a caretaker government. Downing Street has previously indicated that safe passage to any talks would be guaranteed to members of the regime.
The move appears to have the cautious backing of the Syrian government, which yesterday voiced confidence in Russia's involvement, even though the chances of success appear slim. "All of this is wishful thinking," said Sergei Strokan, a columnist for the Russian liberal newspaper, Kommersant. "Moscow has quite limited influence on the Syrian regime."
Mr Cameron may also use his talks to press Mr Putin over Russia's military support for the regime. Yesterday, it was reported that Moscow planned to continue its long-standing military agreement to supply Damascus with S-300 anti-aircraft missiles, which could complicate any Western plans to create a no-fly zone.
But the Kremlin may demand in return that the West holds back on any moves to arm rebel groups. A document leaked on Wednesday revealed the Government's arguments in favour of easing the current arms embargo, when existing sanctions expire at the end of this month.
Meanwhile Turkey revealed that it had begun screening injured refugees crossing from Syria for evidence that they had been wounded by chemical weapons. More substantial tests are being carried out on a dozen injured Syrians, said Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkey's foreign minister.
Damascus also said last night that it was willing to allow a team of UN experts in to assess whether chemical weapons had been used anywhere in the conflict.
[Source: By Robert Winnett, Tom Parfitt in Moscow, and Colin Freeman, The Telegraph, London, 09May13]
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