Knowledge Partner
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Diplomatist
Image 32: US Secretary of State John Kerry, UN Special Envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discuss efforts to reach a poliLcal seBlement in
the Syrian civil war during a press conference at the UN headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, on September 13, 2013
Geneva II and Subsequent Developments
The Geneva II Conference, attended by Syrian government and the
opposition groups, proved sterile. The Syrian government and the
opposition met on 15 February 2014 for merely 15 minutes before the
conference collapsed. Assad announced his intention to contest a new
presidential election and Brahimi resigned in May 2014. In July 2014,
Staffan de Mistura, another veteran UN diplomat, stepped in, and is
still in office. He has convened intra-Syrian talks that have resulted in
cease-fires and delivery of humanitarian assistance, but no real
progress in moving towards a political transition, primarily because
with massive military aid from Russia, Iran, and the Hezbollah,
President Assad has concluded that there is a military solution to the
crisis in his favour. Since December 2016, Russia has taken the
initiative along with Turkey and Iran to hold peace talks known as the
Astana Process. It has made some progress, but as the initiators are
also actively engaged in supporting their respective clients, one need
not consider it as preventive diplomacy.
Brahimi reflected over the failure of the Annan mission. He wanted the US
and Russia to come to an agreement. After repeated parleys, Russia and
the US agreed in May 2013 to have
The very designa@on as another conference in Geneva and to
joint representa@ve of the jointly push for a transitional
government. But they took time to
UN and the LAS detracted
agree on the dates as each wanted
from his acceptability in its client to have an advantageous
Damascus' eyes. position in the ongoing civil war. By
June 2013, the death toll had
crossed 100,000. August 2013 witnessed a chemical attack in Ghouta,
killing hundreds of civilians. The UNSC adopted a resolution requiring
destruction of chemical weapons in Syria and endorsing the Action
Group's Geneva Communiqué.
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