Lavrov: Russia Has Made 'Quite Specific' Proposal on Syria Ceasefire

W460

Russia said it had made a "quite specific" proposal for a ceasefire in Syria as foreign ministers gathered in Munich Thursday in a bid to kickstart peace talks derailed by the regime onslaught on the city of Aleppo.

The U.N. said 51,000 Syrians have fled Aleppo this month as government forces backed by Russian bombers and Iranian fighters bombard the northern city, leaving the opposition there virtually surrounded.

"We made propositions for a ceasefire that are quite specific," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said as he sat down for talks with U.S. counterpart John Kerry.

Moscow has refused to confirm reports that its ceasefire would take effect only on March 1, giving another three weeks to an offensive which the U.N. says could place 300,000 people under siege.

Observers say the bombardments on Aleppo have killed 500 people since they began on February 1.

U.S. diplomats said any ceasefire must be "immediate."

"This is an issue of commitments we all took, and that we have to respect," added EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini.

But Russia and Iran have repeatedly labeled the rebels in Aleppo as "terrorists" and suggested there can be no settlement until they have been militarily defeated.

"Those who are outside Syria should help the peace process and not seek to impose conditions on the Syrian people," Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif told Iran's state TV after arriving for the talks.

- U.S. 'Plan B' -

A first round of talks between the Syrian government and the opposition in Geneva collapsed earlier this month over the attacks on Aleppo.

The rebels say they will not return to talks, penciled in for February 25, unless government sieges and air strikes end.

Kerry and Lavrov were set to host foreign ministers from the 17-nation Syria contact group later Thursday, for a meeting billed as a moment of truth for the floundering peace process.

Washington has threatened an unspecified "Plan B" if talks fail, as tension mounts with Moscow over its air campaign.

The two sides traded accusations on Thursday about bombing in Aleppo, with the Pentagon claiming two hospitals had been destroyed, and Moscow saying U.S. planes had struck the city -- which was flatly denied by Washington.

- Protracted urban warfare -

Analysts see little hope of reconciling differences.

Syria is a crucial ally and military staging post for Russia and Iran, while a growing number of observers say Moscow has benefited from the chaos created by the war, particularly the refugee crisis in Europe.

"For Russia, the war in Syria is about much more than Assad. The goal of Russian President Vladimir Putin is to destabilize and weaken the West," Koert Debeuf, a research fellow at the University of Oxford, told the Carnegie Europe think tank. 

But experts also say there is a limit to how much the Russian bombardment can achieve, particularly as the rebels -- who have the backing of Saudi Arabia and other Gulf countries -- dig in for protracted urban warfare.

"The idea of a full reconquest... seems neither credible nor durable. It will simply turn into a terrorist or guerrilla situation," said Camille Grand, of the Foundation for Strategic Research in Paris.

- 'Lack of U.S. commitment' -

Many have criticized the United States for not doing more to support the rebels. 

Even outgoing French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius could not hide his frustration as he announced his resignation on Wednesday, saying: "You don't get the feeling that there is a very strong commitment" by the U.S. in Syria.

Washington has been reluctant to involve itself in another war after the quagmires of Afghanistan and Iraq, and ultimately seems more concerned about combating IS than getting involved in the civil war between Syria's regime and rebels. 

"The U.S. has given up the idea of toppling Assad," said Grand. "Kerry seems willing to accept pretty much anything to resolve the crisis."

The crisis has also strained relations between Turkey and its Western allies. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hit back at U.N. calls that his country, which is already hosting 2.5 million refugees, should do more for those fleeing Aleppo.

"We do not have the word 'idiot' written on our foreheads," he said. The United Nations should give advice to other countries. And then we can send the refugees to these countries."

He has also slammed Washington's increasingly close alliance with the Kurdish militias in the fight against IS, saying it was turning the region into "a pool of blood."

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