Russia seeks UN backing for Syria truce

BEIRUT

Russia is pushing for a UN Security Council vote Saturday to support the ceasefire it helped broker in Syria, where the truce remained largely intact on its second day despite sporadic clashes.

Moscow says it wants the United Nations to be involved in peace talks between Damascus and rebels in Kazakhstan in January, although the UN is negotiating its own separate peace efforts.

Rebel supporter Turkey and key regime ally Russia, which brokered the truce, say the talks in the Kazakh capital Astana aim to supplement UN-backed peace efforts, rather than replace them.

They want to involve regional players like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Jordan.

Russia's UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin voiced hope that the council would vote Saturday on the draft resolution — which also endorses the planned talks in Kazakhstan — "and adopt it unanimously".

Diplomats however said they did not see how a quick UN weekend vote could occur as the resolution needed to be "seriously studied" and hinted Russia might be hard-pressed to muster the nine votes needed for it to pass.

Washington is conspicuously absent from the new process, but Moscow has said it hoped to bring US President-elect Donald Trump's administration on board once he takes office in January.

IMPORTANT PLAYERS
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based monitor of the war, said that most of the country remained calm on Saturday.

But limited clashes continued in some areas including Wadi Barada near Damascus and the southern city of Daraa where one opposition fighter was killed.

The fighting in Wadi Barada has led to water shortages that have affected four million people in the capital, with the two sides trading blame.

Observatory Director Rami Abdel Rahman said that five rebel fighters were killed on Friday in the opposition bastion of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus and in Wadi Barada where helicopters carried out raids on rebel positions.

A civilian was also killed by regime sniper fire in Eastern Ghouta while another died in shelling in Wadi Barada, he said.

The forces in Wadi Barada include former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front, previously known as Al-Nusra Front, which Syria's government says is excluded from the ceasefire.

Syria's government and its ally Iran have both welcomed the ceasefire deal.

Damascus called it a "real opportunity" to find a political solution to the war, which has killed more than 310,000 people since it began in March 2011 with protests against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Despite being left out of the process, Washington described the truce as "positive".

STILL COMMITTED

Analysts were cautious but said the involvement of Russia, Iran and Turkey could be important.

Sam Heller, fellow at The Century Foundation, said there was "real interest and urgency" from Moscow and Ankara, but expressed doubts about whether Tehran and Damascus were on board.

"All indications are that Iran and the regime want to continue towards a military conclusion," he said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday he would now reduce Moscow's military contingent in Syria, which has been fighting to bolster the government since last year.

But he added Russia would continue to fight "terrorism" and maintain its support for President Bashar al-Assad's government.

Despite backing opposite sides in the conflict, Turkey and Russia have worked increasingly closely on Syria, brokering a deal this month to allow the evacuation of tens of thousands of civilians and rebel fighters from Aleppo.