Syria legislative polls not to interfere with peace process: Putin

Russian President Vladimir Putin tells the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Italy that the Syrian government’s decision to hold parliamentary elections in April does not interfere with the peace process in the crisis-hit country.

Putin made the remarks during a 50-minute conference call on Friday with British Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Francois Hollande, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi.

"The Russian side noted that a decision by the Syrian authorities to hold parliamentary elections in April, 2016 is being conducted in accordance with the existing Syrian constitution and does not interfere with steps to build the peace process," the Kremlin said in a statement following the phone call.

Last month, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad called for legislative polls to be held on April 13.

According to the Kremlin statement, all European sides expressed satisfaction that the ceasefire in Syria “is being observed on the whole” and “is creating conditions for the launch of a political process in Syria through the inter-Syrian dialogue under the auspices of the United Nations."

A ceasefire agreement in Syria, brokered by Russia and the United States, entered into force on February 27. The Syrian government accepted the terms of the truce on condition that military efforts against Daesh and the al-Nusra Front Takfiri terrorists, who are excluded from the ceasefire, continue.

Monitoring the truce

The Russian army has deployed electronic systems, radars, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to monitor violations of the ceasefire in Syria.

The military is using the Zoopark-1 missile and artillery ground reconnaissance system, which is capable of automatically determining the coordinates of enemy artillery location to provide target sighting information to its own countermeasure equipment.

The system can detect up to 70 firing positions in a 17-kilometer (10.5-mile) radius in a minute.

West's insistence on Assad’s ouster

Talking to reporters after the Friday conference call, Cameron’s spokeswoman said the European leaders told Putin that the truce should be used to try to secure a lasting peace in Syria without President Bashar al-Assad in power.

"We have got to use this as a positive dynamic now to create some momentum behind the talks... so we can move from a truce into a more lasting, durable peace with a political transition away from Assad," the spokeswoman said.

Hollande, too, criticized the Syrian president for scheduling the elections for next month, calling the move "provocative" and "unrealistic."

After the phone conversation, Merkel said that Putin confirmed his commitment to respecting the Syrian ceasefire.

"I would like to underline that respecting the ceasefire is an important message which was confirmed by the Russian president today, limiting attacks to Daesh and the al-Nusra Front," she said.

Geneva peace talks

Foreign ministers from France, Germany, the UK, as well as European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini held a meeting in Paris on Friday, calling for the prompt resumption of the Geneva talks on Syria.

"We would like the intra-Syrian talks in Geneva to be resumed as soon as possible, but two conditions are to be met -- access of all Syrians to humanitarian aid and compliance with the ceasefire on the ground," French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said after the meeting.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said, “This cessation of hostilities is by no means perfect but it has reduced the level of violence, it has created an opportunity for some humanitarian access.”

Referring to the situation of humanitarian aid deliveries to the areas affected by the war in Syria, GErman Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier noted, "We are still far away from a situation that is satisfying.”

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said on Thursday that the March 9 date for the next round of the peace talks on Syria was an approximate time, as some delegations would arrive later.

On Friday, Riad Hijab, the head of the Saudi-backed Syrian opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC), said that conditions were not suitable to resume the talks, claiming that more than 50 militant-held areas in Syria have been targeted during the truce.

Hijab also reiterated the HNC position that there should be no role for Assad in the future or during the transitional period for Syria.

Syria has been gripped by foreign-backed militancy since March 2011. According to a February report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 470,000 people, injured 1.9 million others, and displaced nearly half of the country’s pre-war population of about 23 million within or beyond its borders.

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