Russia’s Defense Ministry revealed ongoing talks with the US aimed at bringing closer views on operations in Syria, especially the military operations of the US-led international coalition in the country, and Washington's plans to partially withdraw from Syrian territory.
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Joseph Dunford met with chief of the Russian General Staff, General Valery Gerasimov, in Vienna, and although Moscow had previously announced that contacts at the military level never stopped, current meetings are considered the first serious attempt to bring together views on mechanisms to deal with issues including the situation in northern Syria.
A statement issued by the Ministry of Defense did not elaborate on details of the talks, however, close sources indicated that Moscow intends to understand Washington’s intentions to reduce its troops in some areas of Syria. In addition, Russia is adamant to implement previous agreements on al-Rubkan refugee camp and US presence in Tanf.
Dunford's spokesman Colonel Pat Ryder indicated that the two military leaders discussed the de-confliction of the coalition and Russian operations in Syria, and exchanged views on the state of US-Russia military relations and the current international security situation in Europe and other key topics.
"Both leaders recognize the importance of maintaining regular communication to avoid miscalculation and to promote transparency and de-confliction in areas where our militaries are operating in close proximity," Ryder said.
Meanwhile, the Russian Center for Reconciliation of the conflicting sides in Syria said that refugees are unable to leave the Rukban camp because the US would not let bus convoys pass.
The Center noted that the United States is unwilling to let bus convoys sent to evacuate refugees from Rukban camp enter its zone of control, pointing out that the mission had been launched in accordance with the March 1 decision made by the Russian and Syrian coordination centers for the return of refugees.
"However, despite all measures that have been taken, refugees, in fact, cannot leave the Rukban camp because the United States is unwilling to let buses sent to evacuate refugees pass, and is also refusing to ensure the humanitarian convoys’ safety within the 55 kilometer-wide zone around its base in al-Tanf.”
It indicated that Washington rejected a Russian request to allow the passage of convoys to Tanf to transfer refugees who wish to leave the area.
The Center stressed that the Syrian government insured the security of the displaced citizens and facilitated the procedures of retrieving their documents, pointing out that these data were reported to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Syria.
Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov did not rule out on Monday the possibility of new observers participating in the Astana format on the Syrian settlement, however, he indicated: “I do not think that we need to create any working groups on Syria.”
Lavrov, who is on a Gulf tour, said that during his talks in Doha, Qatar, he did not address the issue of forming a new working group on restoring stability to Syria, given the existence of sufficient frameworks and mechanisms to deal with the crisis.
“Representatives of the UN, Jordan, and the US participate in this process as observers. The United States participated earlier, but then decided not to attend relevant meetings in Astana. But we do not exclude that additional observers may appear in this process,” the minister added.
Lavrov asserted that there are mechanisms to move the UN envoy to Syria, and maintain contacts within the framework of Russia, Turkey, Germany and France, adding that with such a complex network of contacts that must and can lead to the success of the Syrian settlement efforts, there is no need to create another group.
