Syria Action Group leaves open Assad question

Geneva rabbit out of the magician's hat

Saturday's global conference on Syria agreed a UN-brokered peace plan for the country, but left open the key question of whether President Bashar al-Assad could be part of a transitional government.

Special envoy Kofi Annan read the final communiqué, which says the transitional government could include members of the current government.

He later told a press conference it would take "a year" for the transitional government to be put in place and that Assad's future "is their (the Syrian people's) business."

Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters the agreed plan does not require Assad's ouster.

However, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton insisted after the meeting that Assad would still have to go, saying "it is now incumbent on Russia and China to show Assad the writing on the wall."

Following is the full text of the final communiqué by the Action Group on Syria:

1. On 30 June 2012, the Secretaries-General of the United Nations and the League of Arab States, the Foreign Ministers of China, France, Russia, United Kingdom, United States, Turkey, Iraq (Chair of the Summit of the League of Arab States), Kuwait (Chair of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the League of Arab States) and Qatar (Chair of the Arab Follow-up Committee on Syria of the League of Arab States), and the European Union High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy met at the United Nations Office at Geneva as the Action Group for Syria, chaired by the Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the League of Arab States for Syria.

2. Action Group members came together out of grave alarm at the situation in Syria. They strongly condemn the continued and escalating killing, destruction and human rights abuses. They are deeply concerned at the failure to protect civilians, the intensification of the violence, the potential for even deeper conflict in the country, and the regional dimensions of the problem. The unacceptable nature and magnitude of the crisis demands a common position and joint international action.

3. Action Group members are committed to the sovereignty, independence, national unity and territorial integrity of Syria. They are determined to work urgently and intensively to bring about an end to the violence and human rights abuses and the launch of a Syrian-led political process leading to a transition that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people and enables them independently and democratically to determine their own future.

4. To secure these common objectives, the Action Group members (i) identified steps and measures by the parties to secure full implementation of the six-point plan and Security Council resolutions 2042 and 2043, including an immediate cessation of violence in all its forms; (ii) agreed on guidelines and principles for a political transition that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people; and (iii) agreed on actions they would take to implement the above in support of the Joint Special Envoy’s efforts to facilitate a Syrian-led political process. They are convinced that this can encourage and support progress on the ground and will help to facilitate and support a Syrian-led transition.

Identified steps and measures by the parties to secure full implementation of the six-point plan and Security Council resolutions 2042 and 2043, including an immediate cessation of violence in all its forms

5. The parties must fully implement the six-point plan and Security Council resolutions 2042 and 2043. To this end:

A -- All parties must re-commit to a sustained cessation of armed violence in all its forms and implementation of the six-point plan immediately and without waiting for the actions of others. The government and armed opposition groups must cooperate with UNSMIS with a view to furthering the implementation of the above in accordance with its mandate.

B -- A cessation of armed violence must be sustained with immediate, credible and visible actions by the Government of Syria to implement the other items of the six-point plan including:

a -- Intensification of the pace and scale of release of arbitrarily detained persons, including especially vulnerable categories of persons, and persons involved in peaceful political activities; provision without delay through appropriate channels of a list of all places in which such persons are being detained; the immediate organization of access to such locations; and the provision through appropriate channels of prompt responses to all written requests for information, access or release regarding such persons; 

b -- Ensuring freedom of movement throughout the country for journalists and a non-discriminatory visa policy for them; 

c -- Respecting freedom of association and the right to demonstrate peacefully as legally guaranteed.

C -- In all circumstances, all parties must show full respect for UNSMIS’ safety and security and fully cooperate with and facilitate the Mission in all respects.

D -- In all circumstances, the Government must allow immediate and full humanitarian access to humanitarian organizations to all areas affected by the fighting. The Government and all parties must enable the evacuation of the wounded, and all civilians who wish to leave to do so. All parties must fully adhere to their obligations under international law, including in relation to the protection of civilians.

Agreed Principles and Guidelines for a Syrian-led transition

6. Action Group members agreed on the following ‘Principles and Guidelines on a Syrian-led transition’:

Any political settlement must deliver to the people of Syria a transition that:

• Offers a perspective for the future that can be shared by all in Syria;

• Establishes clear steps according to a firm timetable towards the realization of that perspective;

• Can be implemented in a climate of safety for all, stability and calm;

• Is reached rapidly without further bloodshed and violence and is credible.

I. Perspective for the Future 

The aspirations of the people of Syria have been clearly expressed by the wide range of Syrians consulted. There is an overwhelming wish for a state that:

• Is genuinely democratic and pluralistic, giving space to established and newly emerging political actors to compete fairly and equally in elections. This also means that the commitment to multiparty democracy must be a lasting one, going beyond an initial round of elections.

• Complies with international standards on human rights, the independence of the judiciary, accountability of those in government and the rule of law. It is not enough just to enunciate such a commitment. There must be mechanisms available to the people to ensure that these commitments are kept by those in authority.

• Offers equal opportunities and chances for all. There is no room for sectarianism or discrimination on ethnic, religious, linguistic or any other grounds. Numerically smaller communities must be assured that their rights will be respected.

II. Clear Steps in the Transition

The conflict in Syria will only end when all sides are assured that there is a peaceful way towards a common future for all in Syria. It is therefore essential that any settlement provides for clear and irreversible steps in the transition according to a fixed time frame. The key steps in any transition include:

• The establishment of a transitional governing body, which can establish a neutral environment in which the transition can take place. That means that the transitional governing body would exercise full executive powers. It could include members of the present government and the opposition and other groups and shall be formed on the basis of mutual consent.

• It is for the Syrian people to determine the future of the country. All groups and segments of society in Syria must be enabled to participate in a National Dialogue process. That process must not only be inclusive, it must also be meaningful—that is to say, its key outcomes must be implemented.

• On this basis, there can be a review of the constitutional order and the legal system. The result of constitutional drafting would be subject to popular approval.

• Once the new constitutional order is established, it is necessary to prepare for and conduct free and fair multiparty elections for the new institutions and offices that have been established.

• Women must be fully represented in all aspects of the transition.

III. Safety, stability and calm

Any transition involves change. However, it is essential to ensure that the transition can be implemented in a way that assures the safety of all in an atmosphere of stability and calm. This requires:

• Consolidation of full calm and stability. All parties must cooperate with the transitional governing body in ensuring the permanent cessation of violence. This includes completion of withdrawals and addressing the issue of the disarming, demobilization and reintegration of armed groups.

• Effective steps to ensure that vulnerable groups are protected and immediate action is taken to address humanitarian issues in areas of need. It is also necessary to ensure that the release of the detained is completed rapidly.

• Continuity of governmental institutions and qualified staff. The public services must be preserved or restored. This includes the military forces and security services. However, all governmental institutions, including the intelligence services, have to perform according to human rights and professional standards and operate under a top leadership that inspires public confidence, under the control of the transitional governing body.

• Commitment to Accountability and National Reconciliation. Accountability for acts committed during the present conflict must be addressed. There also needs to be a comprehensive package for transitional justice, including compensation or rehabilitation for victims of the present conflict, steps towards national reconciliation and forgiveness.

IV. Rapid steps to come to a Credible Political Agreement

It is for the people of Syria to come to a political agreement, but time is running out. It is clear that:

• The sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria must be respected.

• The conflict must be resolved through peaceful dialogue and negotiation alone. Conditions conducive to a political settlement must now be put in place.

• There must be an end to bloodshed. All parties must re-commit themselves credibly to the six-point plan. This must include a cessation of armed violence in all its forms and immediate, credible and visible actions to implement items 2-6 of the six-point plan.

• All parties must now engage genuinely with the Joint Special Envoy. The parties must be prepared to put forward effective interlocutors to work expeditiously towards a Syrian-led settlement that meets the legitimate aspirations of the people. The process must be fully inclusive to ensure that the views of all segments of Syrian society are heard in shaping the political settlement for the transition. The organized international community, including the members of the Action Group stands ready to offer significant support for the implementation of an agreement reached by the parties. This may include an international assistance presence under a United Nations Mandate if requested. Significant funds will be available to support reconstruction and rehabilitation.

Agreed actions Group members will take to implement the above in support of the Joint Special Envoy’s efforts to facilitate a Syrian-led political process

7. Action Group members will engage as appropriate, and apply joint and sustained pressure on, the parties in Syria to take the steps and measures outlined in paragraph 5.

8. Action Group members are opposed to any further militarization of the conflict.

9. Action Group members underscore to the Government of Syria the importance of the appointment of an effective empowered interlocutor, when requested by the Joint Special Envoy to do so, to work on the basis of the six-point plan and this communiqué.

10. Action Group members urge the opposition to increase cohesion and be in a position to ensure effective representative interlocutors to work on the basis of the six- point plan and this communiqué.

11. Action Group members will give full support to the Joint Special Envoy and his team as they immediately engage the Government and opposition, and consult widely with Syrian society, as well as other international actors, to further develop the way forward.

12. Action Group members would welcome the Joint Special Envoy’s further convening of a meeting of the Action Group should he deem it necessary to review the concrete progress taken on all points agreed in this communiqué, and to determine what further and additional steps and actions are needed from the Action Group to address the crisis. The Joint Special Envoy will also keep the United Nations and the League of Arab States informed.

Only smoke and mirrors in Geneva

Most Arab columnists believe today’s international conference in Geneva on the crisis in Syria, which was called by UN and Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, is a non-starter.

“Geneva illusions,” “Better see Annan fail than wait up for his triumph,” and “Annan’s new plan reverses solution priorities” are three typical titles of commentaries in this morning’s papers.

Rosanna Boumounsef, in her daily column for the independent Lebanese daily an-Nahar, describes the Geneva meeting as no more than an occasion to take a look at the new wrapping of an old Annan mission, hoping that the reshuffling of its priorities would keep it alive. Annan’s now-defunct six-point plan made the cessation of violence and deployment of observers the gateway to a political dialogue in Syria. His new roadmap – dubbed “Guidelines and Principles for a Syrian-led Transition” – now expects political dialogue and a transitional government of national unity to put an end to violence.

Boumounsef says several of Annan’s associates previously went through such tests in Lebanon and other hotspots. “They are adept at improvising phased solutions and they excel at buying time to salvage international missions that the big powers cannot pronounce dead lest they are accused of exacerbating conflict instead of dampening it.”

Satei’ Noureddin, writing about the “Geneva illusions” for Beirut’s pro-Syrian daily as-Safir, does not expect today’s conference to be a turning point in the search for a political solution to the crisis in Syria. Instead, “it’s simply a new signal that the international community is not yet ready to put a stop to the crisis and remains on the lookout for added justifications to let the Syrians drown in their own blood.”

The conference idea, Noureddin explains, is “primarily an acknowledgement” of the failure of Annan’s earlier six-point plan and its appended UN observer mission. Collapse of the six-point called for an alternative political initiative that jumps straight to the long-term solution in that it lays the foundations for a transition to a pluralistic and democratic regime.

Noureddin says, “Even novice watchers of Syria’s internal conflict know this remains a dream if not an illusion. Specifically, President Bashar al-Assad’s interview with Iranian TV does not suggest he is ready to give up his security and military option or sacrifice his political reform agenda.”

Assad’s political reform timeline, Noureddine notes, has meanwhile “dropped to the level of a National Reconciliation Ministry in the new Syrian government that is ready to accept opposition applications for a resumption of dialogue under regime auspices.”

Unfortunately for the Syrians, Noureddin remarks, “the regime’s only option is security and military finality. That’s what Assad said explicitly. And that’s what prompts the opposition to regard such finality its sole recourse as well.”

In that light, “the Geneva conference becomes a bad diplomatic joke… Once more, the crisis in Syria will be returned to its roots. The international community will do everything possible to keep the Syria crisis contained within Syria’s borders, allowing the Geneva conference to dissipate any regional or international illusions about Syria’s future.”

Rajeh el-Khoury, who like Boumounsef writes for an-Nahar, says the meeting in Geneva “is of no consequence either one way or the other. It must be said, however, that four months into the Annan mission, which saw the killing of more than 3,000 people and the devastation of townships and neighborhoods, the mission’s greatest success would be an avowal of its failure.

“I would hasten to add,” writes Khoury, “that such avowal, coming after all the extra time allowed for bloodshed and tragedies, is the best success possible" because it would:

(1) Pressure the UN Security Council and the international community to assume their responsibilities.

(2) Quash the pretexts used by Moscow, which is hiding behind Annan and refusing any solution that sees Assad forced out.

(3) Leave Sergei Lavrov and Vladimir Putin soaked in Syrian blood.

Khoury believes Moscow is clinging to Annan in order to use his shuttles as “a political smokescreen that conceals the bloodshed and grants (Assad) added time for an impossible military solution.”

Syria: Can Annan’s new rabbit fly?

Much like a magician, Kofi Annan, the international troubleshooter for Syria, has pulled a second rabbit out of his hat.

It took about three months for his much-trumpeted six-point peace plan to be declared dead and buried together with more than 3,000 Syrian men, women and children.

We’re now into his more ambitious brainchild – a roadmap for establishing “a transitional unity government in Syria” to be discussed tomorrow in Geneva.

Nice try. But, in my opinion, this new rabbit just won’t fly either.

Raghida Dergham, the political analyst and diplomatic correspondent in Washington and at UN headquarters in New York for pan-Arab daily al-Hayat, does not exactly share my view and hedges her bets on Annan’s new blueprint.

However, wondering in her weekly column if tomorrow’s meeting in Geneva would deliver a political solution in Syria under Russian auspices, she remarks: “Kofi Annan himself would be putting his plan and his mission in jeopardy if he kept spending time on patching the big powers’ relations while conditions on the ground in Syria continue going from bad to worse…”

Emile Khoury, another Lebanese political analyst writing for the Beirut daily an-Nahar, notes, “If tomorrow’s meeting in Geneva does not yield a solution based on Annan’s roadmap, or a Russian-American tradeoff whereby the U.S. removes Assad and Russia names his replacement, Syria would turn into a battleground for proxy wars that wouldn’t end before the country came apart at the seams.”

Annan outlined his roadmap to the parties meeting in Geneva in a non-paper, or a text for negotiation, entitled “On Guidelines and Principles of a Syrian-led transition.” UN correspondent Nabil Abi Saab was able to obtain the document and publish it overnight on his blog UN Report.

Here is what it states:

Guidelines and Principles for a Syrian-led Transition

“Any political settlement must deliver to the people of Syria a transition that:

- Offers a perspective for the future that can be shared by all in Syria;

-- Establishes clear steps according to a firm timetable towards the realization of that perspective;

-- Can be implemented in a climate of safety for all, stability and calm;

-- Is reached rapidly without further bloodshed and violence and is credible.

1. Perspective for the Future

The aspirations of the people of Syria have been clearly expressed by the wide range of Syrians I have consulted. There is an overwhelming wish for a state that:

-- Is genuinely democratic and pluralistic, giving space to established and newly emerging political actors to compete fairly and equally in elections. This also means that the commitment to multiparty democracy must be lasting one, going beyond an initial round of elections.

-- Complies with international standards on human rights, the independence of the judiciary, accountability of those in government and the rule of law. It is not enough just to enunciate such a commitment. There must be mechanisms available to the people to ensure that commitments are kept by those in authority.

-- Offers equal opportunities and chances for all. There is no room for sectarianism or discrimination on ethnic, religious, linguistic or any other grounds. Numerically smaller communities must be assured that their rights will be respected.

 2. Clear Steps in the Transition

The conflict in Syria will only end when all sides are assured that there is a peaceful way towards a common future for all in Syria. It is therefore essential that any settlement provides for clear and irreversible steps in transition according to a fixed time frame. The key steps in any transition include:

-- The establishment of a Transitional Government of National Unity, which can establish a neutral environment in which the transition can take place. That means that the Government of National Unity would exercise full executive powers. It could include members of the present government and the opposition and other groups, but would exclude from government those whose continued presence and participation would undermine the transition and jeopardize stability and reconciliation.

-- It is for the people to determine the future of the country. All groups and segments of society in Syria must be enabled to participate in a National Dialogue process. That process must not only be inclusive, it must also be meaningful, that is to say, its key outcomes must be implemented.

-- On this basis, there can be a review of the constitutional order and the legal system. The result of constitutional drafting would be subject to popular approval.

-- Once the new constitutional order is established, it is necessary to prepare for and conduct free and fair multiparty elections for the new institutions and offices that have been established.

-- Women must be fully represented in all aspects of the transition.

3. Safety, stability and calm

Any transition involves change. However it is essential to ensure that the transition can be implemented in a way that assures the safety of all in an atmosphere of stability and calm. This requires:

-- Consolidation of full calm and stability. All parties must cooperate with the Transitional Government of National Unity in ensuring the permanent cessation of violence. This includes completion of withdrawals and addressing the issue of the disarming, demobilization and reintegration of armed groups.

-- Effective steps to ensure that vulnerable groups are protected and immediate action is taken to address humanitarian issues in areas of need. It is also necessary to ensure that the release of the detained is completed rapidly.

-- Continuity of governmental institutions and qualified staff. The public services must be preserved or restored. This includes the military forces and security services. However, all governmental institutions, including the. intelligence services, have to perform according to human rights and professional standard and operate under a top leadership that inspires public confidence, under the control of the Transitional Government of National Unity.

-- Commitment to Accountability and National Reconciliation. Accountability for acts committed during the present conflict must be addressed. There also needs to be a comprehensive package for transitional justice, including compensation of rehabilitation for victims of the present conflict, steps towards national reconciliation and forgiveness.

4. Rapid steps to come to a Credible Political Agreement

It is for the people of Syria to come to a political agreement, but time is running out. It is clear that:

-- The sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria must be respected.

-- The conflict must be resolved through peaceful dialogue and negotiation alone. Conditions conducive to a political settlement must now be put in place.

-- There must be an end to bloodshed. All parties must re-commit themselves credibly to the six-point plan. This must include a cessation of armed violence in 'all its forms and immediate, credible and visible actions to implement items 2-6 of the six-point plan.

-- All parties must now engage genuinely with the Joint Special Envoy. The parties must be prepared to put forward effective interlocutors to work expeditiously towards a Syrian-led settlement that meets the legitimate aspirations of the people. The process must be fully inclusive to ensure that the views of all segments of Syrian society are heard in shaping the political settlement for the transition.

-- The organized international community, including the members of the Action Group stands ready to offer significant support for the implementation of an agreement reached by the parties. This may include an international assistance presence under a United Nations Mandate if requested. Significant funds will be available to support reconstruction and rehabilitation.”

Syria bazaar: Yemen scenario or Kosovo option?

Multilateral talks on Special Envoy Kofi Annan's Syrian mediation plan should seek to secure a ceasefire but not determine in advance the shape of a possible national unity government, Russia said today.

“The meeting in Geneva was intended to support Kofi Annan's plan and it must set the conditions for the end of violence and the start of an all-Syrian national dialogue, and not predetermine the contents of this dialogue,” Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a briefing.

Lavrov is expected to discuss Annan’s proposal with the other four permanent UN Security Council members and key regional players in Geneva on Saturday.

Speaking in Moscow, Lavrov said the Annan plan was not, however, a final document and he expressed dismay that it had been leaked to the media ahead of the Geneva talks.

Earlier in the day, Bloomberg quoted three UN diplomats as saying Russia has endorsed Annan’s detailed roadmap for a political transition in Syria, a sign that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has lost the support of a key ally.

Persuading Assad to step aside and forming a transitional government to pave the way for elections will be at the core of the Geneva meeting, the officials said. All three asked not to be identified by Bloomberg because the talks are private.

Annan earlier this week gave the parties to the talks a few days to respond to a set of recommendations entitled “On Guidelines and Principles of a Syrian-led transition.” By late on June 26, the Russians had accepted the paper in full, including language that spells out Assad’s departure, according to the three officials, who all were informed of the decision.

The Annan document, which was reviewed by Bloomberg News, says a transitional government may include members of Assad’s government and opposition and other groups, although not “those whose continued presence and participation would undermine the credibility of the transition and jeopardize stability and reconciliation.”

Speaking in Helsinki on Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she had been in regular contact with Annan over his transition plan.

She did not make public details of his proposal, but noted: “I’ve been in close consultation with special envoy Kofi Annan about the prospects for a meeting that would focus on a roadmap for political transition in Syria.”

Annan “has developed his own very concrete roadmap for political transition, he has been circulating it for comments and when I spoke to him yesterday I conveyed our support for the plan that he has put forward,” said Clinton.

“We think it embodies the principles needed for any political transition in Syria that could lead to a peaceful, democratic and representative outcome reflecting the will of the Syrian people,” she added.

Yemen or Kosovo

Editorially, Lebanese political analyst Abdelwahhab Badrakhan, writing for the pan-Arab daily al-Hayat, says Annan’s roadmap for political transition in Syria leaves Damascus choosing between “the Yemen scenario and the Kosovo option.”

The Yemen scenario would nudge Assad out of office as happened to Yemen’s Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The Kosovo option would see the Syrian regime forcibly evicted by joint internal and international military action. Where the regime is concerned, it’s a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea.

To explain the current state of play, Badrakhan starts with a metaphor, writing:

After lip-reading the televised remarks of US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, and observing their body language at the recent G20 summit, a Damascus denizen figured:

The American asks the Russian: How much for your share in the partnership (with the Syrian regime)?

The Russian: A million dollars.

The American: Too much.

The Russian: I’ve been building the partnership for 50 years. I invested a lot in it.

The American: I’ll give you $100,000 for your share and keep you as company chairman.

The Russian: Too little… I might not want to sell after all.

The American: Reconsider and better take the offer. In two months you could be pushed out and left with nothing.

In essence, Badrakhan continues, the elements of caricature in this hypothetical dialogue also sums up the regime’s current circumstances. “The regime was urged to end its crackdown, to lead the political reform and to stop the killings. The Arab League intervened to help it cease the violence and open a dialogue with the opposition. When none of this worked, a joint UN-Arab intercession followed. But the regime kept piling its failures and moving from stupidity to arrogance, from murders to massacres, and from shabiha to scorched earth and ethnic cleansing policies – all the time thinking it would get away with its war crimes.

“Having dissipated all chances of an internal political solution, a peaceful transition and a safe way out, the regime left the international community no alternative but to oversee its exit.”

Badrakhan believes the regime is unfit and can’t be trusted to play a role in Syria’s future.

“Endorsement of Annan’s roadmap for political transition in Syria at Saturday’s Geneva meeting would mark the start of an international entente on a political solution for Syria on terms the regime invariably sought to evade and sidestep.

“Even Russia and Iran realize the regime must pay the price for getting a solution going. Whereas the regime could have sacrificed a few heads at the onset of the crisis, it is now bound to part with its own.”

Despite its apprehensions, the opposition too would have to accommodate the international entente and accept the roadmap once adopted. That would be the only way to put all the pieces of the jigsaw together since “the regime is unable to prevail despite its arsenal and the uprising is incapable of bringing down the regime although it crippled it.”

In any case, says Badrakhan, all this is hypothetical. “The proposed roadmap could bear fruit quickly, or it could drag on due to regime intransigence or Russian-Chinese-Iranian considerations and ambitions. But the solution’s cornerstone is to see the last of the head of the regime and its bunch of murderers.

“The roadmap’s flaw is that it would seek to build an alternative regime from disparate components. Its forte is a burgeoning American-Russian understanding. What is certain is that its success or failure would determine the nature of international intervention needed in either case: the Yemen template if it succeeded or the Kosovo scenario if it failed.”

UPDATE: Saturday meeting on Syria without Iran

Following is a statement issued today by Kofi Annan, the Joint Special Envoy of the United Nations and the Arab League for Syria:



“The Action Group for Syria will convene at the Ministerial level this Saturday, the 30th of June, in Geneva. 

Today, I have sent invitations to the Foreign Ministers of the five permanent members of the Security Council -- China, France, the Russian Federation, the United Kingdom and the United States of America -- and Turkey.

“Invitations have also gone to the Secretaries-General of the United Nations and the League of Arab States, and to the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy; as well as to the Foreign Ministers of Iraq, as Chair of the Summit of the League of Arab States; Kuwait, as Chair of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the League of Arab States and Qatar, as Chair of the Follow-up Committee on Syria of the League of Arab States.



“The objectives of the Action Group for Syria are to identify steps and measures to secure full implementation of the six-point plan and Security Council resolutions 2042 and 2043, including an immediate cessation of violence in all its forms.

“The Action Group for Syria should also agree on guidelines and principles for a Syrian-led political transition that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people; and agree on actions that will make these objectives a reality on the ground.



“I look forward to a productive meeting this weekend, where we can all agree on concrete actions to end the cycle of violence and bring peace and stability to the Syrian people.” 


Kofi Annan’s Syria "Action Group” chokes

Opposition leader Burhan Ghalioun calls on rebels in northern Syria (Photos credit)    

Russia and Special Envoy Kofi Annan’s pet idea of an international meeting on Syria in Geneva on Saturday remains up in the air at this writing.

The proposal is not flying yet because of disagreements over composition of the “contact-cum-action group” for Syria, its agenda and the meeting’s proposed June 30 date.

Russia and Annan want Iran at the table alongside other global and regional players in Syria.

The U.S. doesn’t “think that Iran has a place at the table” because it is “aiding and abetting the Assad regime on the ground in the murdering of its own people,” State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Tuesday at a press briefing in Washington. She said Washington and Annan “continue to work on what this conference might look like and how, if we go forward with it, whether it – if it’s at the end of the week or sometime thereafter, we can ensure that it truly makes progress in supporting the Annan plan and specifically in supporting a peaceful democratic transition in Syria.”

The U.S. and Joint Special Envoy Annan want the group to commit to endorse a peaceful democratic transition in Syria.

Russia has opposed the idea that other countries dictate a political transition, insisting it is a decision for the Syrians themselves.

CNN’s Jill Dougherty says Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called Annan from her plane en route to a three-nation tour of Finland, Latvia and Russia. Annan is continuing his consultations, a senior State Department official told reporters aboard the plane.

"For us, the key thing is that the participants in the meeting agree on the way forward including political transition in Syria. I think if Kofi Annan can get the proposed participants to agree on such a plan for political transition, then there will be a meeting. But that's what we need to find out before we go to any meeting," the official said.

"If other proposed participants agree to that, then the secretary will go to the meeting and we'll try to advance it in that way," the official added. "What it can't be is just another round of dialogue for dialogue's sake with the regime. And that's our view. And I think, frankly, it's the view of a very large number of members of the international community."

While in St. Petersburg this week, Clinton is expected to meet with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the topic of Syria will be on their agenda, the official said.

Annan's deputy, Nasser al-Kidwa, told the UN Security Council behind closed doors that Annan is nearing a decision on whether or not to host the meeting in Geneva.

"We are awaiting clarity today on whether there is sufficient substantive agreement as well as consensus on the scope of participation before the envoy decides whether the meeting should proceed on the 30th as planned," al-Kidwa told the 15-nation council, according to a copy of his statement quoted by Colum Lynch on Turtle Bay.

Al-Kidwa outlined the basic elements of the plan to the full council in a closed-door meeting Tuesday. He said it would include agreement on "guidelines and principles for a political transition that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people," read a copy of his confidential statement, according to Lynch.

Leading Lebanese political analyst Sarkis Naoum, writing for the Beirut daily an-Nahar on Tuesday, sees little chance of Iran finding its way to the “contact-cum-action group” table unless it decides to give the nod to a political transition. One conceivable transition would involve Assad stepping aside and empowering his vice president, Farouk al-Sharaa, to head a tripartite coalition government. The said government would prepare for free and democratic elections. The regime would choose one-third of its members, another third would represent the home-based opposition while the overseas opposition would name the last third.

Was Turkish jet lost in NATO spooks act?

As Western and Turkish military leaders prepare for a pipe ceremony at NATO headquarters in Brussels later today over the downing of a Turkish fighter jet by Syria, a Russian report blames the incident on a failed NATO spooks operation.

RT, the first Russian 24/7 English-language news channel that carries the Russian view on global news, writes this morning:

“The Turkish military jet’s incursion into Syria may have been a botched NATO operation on counterfeiting Syrian military aircraft ID in order to fool the country’s air defense. The necessary codes could have been ‘borrowed’ from the Syrian fighter that had been stolen by its defector pilot.

“This theory, explaining why the Turkish reconnaissance plane entered Syrian airspace before being taken down, was voiced by Russian newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, which cited unnamed sources in the Syrian security forces.

“Syrians believe the Friday incident has its roots in last week’s defection of a Syrian pilot who escaped in his MiG-21 fighter jet to Jordan. Damascus branded the defector a traitor, while Jordanian authorities gave him asylum.

“The defection brings memories of a similar incident that took place in February 2011, when two Libyan pilots ‘delivered’ their military aircraft to Malta. NATO’s bombing campaign, which ended with the fall of the Muammar Gaddafi’s government, started just a month later.

“Military analysts note that, curiously, the Libyan air defense systems appeared to be helpless against NATO’s airstrikes. The explanation may lie in the friend-or-foe systems that the two stolen aircraft had onboard, the newspaper suggests. This system is used by the military in combat to distinguish their own aircraft.

“According to the newspaper, the Syrian military believe that NATO took a similar approach again, but failed to properly decipher the codes. This is evident by the fact that the defector pilot managed to send his family to Turkey before stealing the fighter jet, which means the act was probably not done out of a sudden emotional breakdown.

“NATO may have tasked Turkey to test how well the job was performed, and the result was disastrous, the report explains.

“This is only a theory and more trivial explanations cannot be ruled out – but the intrusion is more likely to have been part of a military operation rather than the mistake Turkey claims it to be, military experts say.”