Russia highlights “Constitutional Committee”, Washington opposes normalization

Over the past few days, Russia has renewed talk about the so-called Constitutional Committee, despite the failure to achieve any progress during the meetings it held.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Switzerland's departure from its neutral status and its anti-Russian policy were the reason for suspending the work of the so-called Syrian Constitutional Committee in Geneva.

Where has this committee reached?

Over the course of about four years of the committee’s life, and eight rounds of its meetings, its three parties, the Damascus government, the so-called opposition, and civil society, did not succeed in writing a single constitutional article. UN envoy Geir Pedersen was scheduled to visit Damascus in the last half of February to discuss a contract. A new round of this committee.

Observers believe that Russia is trying to fully control the course of the so-called Constitutional Committee, especially after Russian officials were denied movement in European countries against the backdrop of the Ukrainian war, and because of that the committee stopped meeting about a year and a half ago.

The statements of the Russian President's envoy, Alexander Lavrentiev, indicate Russia's intention to convene the so-called Constitutional Committee again, but it appears to be in a place it pleases and agrees upon outside Geneva, as Lavrentiev said in statements to the Russian "TASS" agency, that "the Constitutional Committee may hold its next meeting in March." Pointing out that, “After the Sultanate of Oman’s withdrawal from hosting the next round of the committee’s work, alternative locations are currently being considered.”

The Syrian political writer, Muhammad Issa, pointed out that “the Constitutional Committee, since its establishment, was a failed and unconvincing measure, because in terms of form, it was not, according to its known composition, one third for the opposition, one third for the regime, and one third for civil society, to faithfully represent the Syrian political reality, nor does it reflect the balance of power.” existing on the ground, where they remarkably and intentionally tried to exclude any role or representation for one of the most important formations of the Syrian people, by which we mean the coalition represented by the Syrian Democratic Council and the advanced experience on the ground, which has made great strides in its approaches to the Syrian dilemma and in its dialogues with the various Syrian parties.”

Issa believed that Russia's talk about this committee "was nothing more than failed Russian attempts to circumvent UN Resolution 2,254 by inventing paths parallel to the Geneva Conference, in a way that serves the interests of the countries involved in the Astana process axis, especially the interests of the Turkish state and policy at the expense of the interests of the Syrians."

Attempts to reach a deal

In parallel, Russia conducted military training in the Aleppo countryside, and in this context, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the 25th Division, “special missions” forces in the Damascus government forces, led by “Suhail Al-Hassan,” carried out military training in the open area near the al-Jaboul area in the Aleppo countryside. Southeast, under the supervision of Russian forces.

The Syrian political writer pointed out that all these events come “because Russian policy, especially by talking again about the Constitutional Committee, wants to reflect today on its game that it agreed to implement with the Turks and the Iranians, this game that wants to bring about a settlement of some kind based on handing over some the northwestern regions are for the Damascus authorities, in exchange for including some Islamic opposition factions affiliated with Turkey within the context of a new deal, and presenting it to international public opinion as the formula for the political solution that the Syrians agreed upon.”

He stressed that it is "a solution through which the Russians and their Turkish and Iranian allies hide behind a plan that would then pave the way or provide cover for a new Turkish invasion of Syrian territory in the areas of the Syrian Democratic Forces."

A clash of agendas between Washington and Moscow

Also simultaneously with this, the House of Representatives in the US Congress approved the “Anti-normalization with the Assad regime” bill, in a move that observers see as coming in the face of Russian efforts to break the international isolation imposed on Damascus.

Regarding this, Muhammad Issa pointed out, “There is no doubt that this is evidence of the large gap between the American and Western approaches in general, and the Russian approach regarding the Syrian file. This gap seems to be constantly widening and is likely to develop into a major conflict between the American and Russian agendas and the allies.” With it, against the backdrop of developments brought about by the Gaza War, which resulted in an explicit goal that the Astana coalition is working to implement, which aims to force American forces to leave the region, as happened in Afghanistan, by launching combat attacks by parties affiliated with the Astana axis against the sites of the American presence in Syria and Iraq and Jordan.”

T/ Satt.

 ANHA