Following Russian
Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov’s press conference in Moscow on Saturday, the
Russian Federation issued the following “non-paper” (or discussion
text) to formalize its proposal for
an international conference on Syria:
Being
guided by its consistent policy aimed at reaching political and diplomatic
settlement of the Syrian crisis and in support of the joint special envoy for
the United Nations and the League of Arab States on Syria, Kofi Annan's Peace
Plan, the Russian Federation is putting forward an initiative to convene an
international conference on Syria.
(1) Purpose of conference: To negotiate practical steps aimed at finding a durable
political solution to the Syrian crisis. Encourage key external players who may
exert real influence on various Syrian parties, to take coherent measures in
support of Kofi Annan's Peace Plan and to ensure full implementation of UN
Security Council Resolutions 2042 and 2043, in which the Security Council
endorsed the Plan and authorized the deployment of the UN Supervision Mission
in Syria.
(2) Suggested
participants in the conference: China,
France. Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Qatar, Saudi Arabia,
Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey, Iran, LAS (League of Arab States), OIC
(Organization of Islamic Countries), EU, UN.
(3) Level of the
conference: Foreign ministers, heads of
regional organizations, with possible preparatory meetings of experts.
(4) Expected
outcome: All conference participants
undertake to exert all their influence on the Syrian parties in order to
immediately stop the armed conflict and fully comply with their obligations
under Kofi Annan’s Plan and UN Security Council Resolutions 2042 and 2043.
They further undertake to
give up any rhetoric which contradicts the letter and the spirit of Kofi
Annan's Plan, particularly with respect to ending all violence in all its forms
by all parties and creating a favorable environment for starting a political
dialogue between the Syrian government and opposition groups aimed at
negotiating every aspect of the Syrian political system. The problems faced by
Syria should be dealt with on the basis of agreements between the Syrians themselves.
All participants undertake to
provide their practical support to Kofi Annan in his efforts to consolidate the
opposition on a common platform of readiness to such a dialogue.
All participants undertake to
support the UN Supervision Mission in Syria and to block any attempts to
question its mandate.
All participants undertake to
refrain from putting any limitations, other than for security reasons, on the
activities of mass media focused on the situation in Syria.
(5) At first stage, the suggested conference should consolidate the potential of
external players for the sake of the settlement of the Syrian crisis. In case
of success, further meetings of the conference will he held in order to
negotiate various aspects of the settlement in a more substantive way. At
further stages the Syrian parties, including the government and the opposition,
united on a common platform of readiness to a political dialogue, might join
the conference.
The suggested conference
aimed at supporting the implementation of Kofi Annan’s Plan and UN Security Council
Resolutions 2042 and 2043 -- that should be the only possible format for
negotiating a coherent policy of external players with regard to the Syrian
settlement.
(6) Venue of the
conference: Moscow or Geneva.
The Russian
Federation wishes to convene the conference at the earliest possible date.
