On December 14, 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Both Putin and Erdogan agreed to suggest that the warring parties in Syria continue their peace talks in another format and not just in Geneva. Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, was named as a possible venue. Russia made this proposal to the Syrian government, with Turkey doing the same to the armed oppositions representatives.
Kazakhstans President Nursultan Nazarbayev supported Putins proposal toconduct theSyrian peace processinAstana.
On December 20, 2016, the foreign ministers ofIran, Russia and Turkey issued a joint statement aftertheir Moscow talks. The statement listed agreed-upon measures aiming toinvigorate the political process and tostopthe Syrian conflict. The parties voiced their readiness tohelp draft a future agreement betweenthe Syrian government and the opposition and toact asthe guarantors ofthis document which is currently being negotiated. They invited all countries influencing the situation onthe ground toact likewise.
The talks inAstanaare called onto formalize the current ceasefire regime stipulated bythe December 29, 2016 agreements and tohelp maintain direct dialogue betweenthe government and the opposition underUN Security Council Resolution 2254.
Astana hosted the first roundof intra-Syrian talks January 23-24, 2017 withSyria's UN ambassador Bashar Jaafari heading the Syrian government delegation. Jaysh al-Islam (Army ofIslam) militant group represented the armed opposition. Russia has repeatedly noted that this organization should be included inthe UN Security Councils list ofterrorist groups. On December 29, however, its representatives voiced their readiness tojoin the ceasefire regime. Mohamed Alloush, one ofthe organizations leaders, headed the delegation ofmilitants that involved representatives ofover ten groups fromcentral and northwestern Syria.
Apart fromthe government delegation and the armed opposition, the Astana talks involved Russian, Turkish and Iranian representatives, aswell asUN officials. Moscow, Ankara and Tehran act asguarantors ofthe ceasefire agreement. Russian diplomats and military experts inAstana included Special Presidential Representative forSyria Alexander Lavrentyev, Foreign Ministry's Middle East and North Africa Department (MENAD) Director Sergey Vershinin and Deputy Chief ofthe Russian General Staff's Main Operational Directorate Lt. Gen. Stanislav Gadzhimagomedov. The Turkish Foreign Ministry's Deputy Undersecretary Sedat Onal headed the Turkish delegation. Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister forArab and African Affairs Hossein Jaberi Ansari represented the interests ofTehran atthe consultations. The United Nations sent UN and Arab League Envoy toSyria Staffan de Mistura. US Ambassador inKazakhstan George A. Krol attended the talks asan observer.
The Astana meeting became the first case when the Damascus delegation and that ofthe armed opposition sat downat one negotiating table. Earlier, all paramilitary units fighting onthe ground were barred fromtalks onSyrias political future.
As the talks opened, the parties spent the first few hours ata large roundtable. The meeting organizers deliberately decided not toplace separate signs forofficial Damascus and the opposition, simply denoting them asthe Syrian Arab Republic.
Mediators failed toconvince the warring parties tonegotiate the ceasefire agreement face toface and withoutthe guarantor countries. Both Syrian delegations conducted indirect talks instead.
An agreement onestablishing a trilateral mechanism formonitoring the ceasefire regime inthe Syrian Arab Republic byRussia, Iran and Turkey, asguarantors ofthe Syrian truce, became one ofthe talks main military results. The parties did their best toseparate the opposition fromterrorist groups. Earlier, it was impossible toreach the same agreement withthe United States. For example, military negotiators managed tocoordinate demarcation lines withthe Islamic State (IS, banned inRussia) terror group and also moved todetermine the positions ofthe terrorist ofthe Jabhat al-Nusra terror group, also banned inRussia.
Moscow, Tehran and Ankara also supported the armed oppositions desire totake part inUN-brokered talks inGeneva.
Russia submitted proposals onthe draft Syrian constitution tothe national opposition. Russia has thus launched a discussion onthe fundamental laws contents, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov noted.
On February 6, Astana hosted the first meeting ofa joint group, established underagreements atthe January 23-24 international meeting onSyria inAstana. Russian, Turkish and Iranian experts discussed the fulfillment ofagreements onthe Syrian truce, the monitoring mechanism, and confidence-building measures.
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="747"]
A member of the rebel delegation Osama Abu Zeid speaks to the media during the second day of Syria peace talks at Astana's Rixos President Hotel on January 24, 2017[/caption]On February 15-16, 2017, Astana hosted the second roundof Astana talks onresolving the Syrian conflict. The talks involved delegations ofguarantor countries, which are Russia, Iran and Turkey. Jaafari, headed the Syrian government delegation, Alloush headed the nine-person opposition delegation. Representatives ofJordan and the United States were invited asobservers, withthe United Nations sending ina five-person delegation.
The two-day multi-format talks were held behindclosed doors and involved Russia, Iran and Turkey, the Syrian government delegation, that ofthe armed opposition, aswell asJordanian and US representatives and a five-person UN delegation. Some participants expressed concern withthe representation level ofthe Turkish delegation, headed bythe chief ofthe Turkish Foreign Ministrys Directorate General ofMiddle East Affairs. Representatives ofthe armed opposition did not join the talks beforeFebruary 16.
The second roundof the Astana talks produced the followingmain result: the parties finalized an agreement onestablishing a group tomonitor the Syrian truce withthe involvement ofIran, Russia and Turkey. The Russian Foreign Ministry called the meeting successful, withrepresentatives ofthe Syrian armed opposition voicing a pessimistic opinion ofthe talks. Nevertheless, they agreed toestablish a truce commission butopposed Irans involvement inits work.
Despite objections ofthe Syrian opposition delegations members concerning the involvement ofIran, voiced byAlloush, the appropriate document formalized a decision toestablish a joint group consisting ofRussia, Iran and Turkey.
The parties tothe talks managed toformulate a prisoner exchange mechanism and coordinated a clause onexchanging the bodies ofthose killed inaction.
On March 14-17, Astana hosted the third roundof talks onthe Syrian peace settlement. The Syrian armed opposition decided not tosend their representatives toAstana. A planned plenary meeting, therefore, did not take place, withthe parties focusing onmulti-format consultations. The parties discussed the release ofprisoners and made headway onthese issues. They agreed toestablish a working group and tofurther separate the moderate opposition fromterrorist groups; they also compared their positions onthese issues. Moreover, they started discussing the rather complicated issue ofestablishing the constitutional commission and also raised the entirely new issue ofpossibly drawing the efforts ofvarious countries torebuild ancient Syrian landmarks, including the legendary Palmyra.
Some meetings were held afterthe talks. Jaafari said he had had an additional meeting withmembers ofthe Russian delegation inAstana todiscuss amendments tothe Syrian constitution. This issue was not included inthe third rounds initial agenda. In a novel feature, the Russian delegation met withUS representatives, including Syria Opposition Outreach Desk Officer Martin Maxwell fromthe US State Department.
In a joint statement onthe results ofthe talks, guarantor countries confirmed their commitment tothe Syrian peace settlement and underscored the importance ofthe third roundof Astana talks forthe Geneva process.
On May 3-4, 2017, Astana hosted the fourth roundof talks onthe Syrian peace settlement that also involved representatives ofguarantor countries aswell asrepresentatives ofthe United States, the United Nations, the Syrian government and the opposition.
During the second day ofthe talks, the parties signed a memorandum onestablishing four security zones inSyria, including one zone inIdlib province and parts ofthe neighboring Latakia, Hama and Aleppo, the north ofthe central Homs province, Eastern Ghouta nearDamascus, aswell assouthern Daraa and Quneitra regions. Under the memorandum, it is forbidden touse any type ofweapons, including military aircraft, inthese zones starting fromMay 6, while military authorities should demarcate these zones inadvance. In addition, the document stipulates quick, safe and unimpeded humanitarian relief aid deliveries tode-escalation zones.
Deputy Iranian Foreign Hossein Jaberi Ansari said the parties should start fulfilling the provisions ofthe memorandum onestablishing four de-escalation zones inSyria one month aftersigning. Special Presidential Representative forSyria Alexander Lavrentyev, the head ofthe Russian delegation, noted that Syrian de-escalation zones shall be established fora period ofsix months and extended foranother six months, and that the memorandum could have an unlimited duration.
Representatives ofthe Syrian opposition involved inthe talks issued an appeal tothe guarantors ofthe Syrian truce, and noted that the creation ofsecurity zones inSyria should not become an alternative tothe political process.
Astana meeting participants also reviewed issues regarding the establishment ofa working group toexchange forcibly detained persons and discussed the relevant draft document.
