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Russia facilitating Syria peace talks: Analyst

Friday, 18 March 2016 5:15 AM [ Last Update: Friday, 18 March 2016 5:13 AM ]

A handout picture taken on March 16, 2016 and released by the Russian Defense Ministry shows Russian Sukhoi Su-25 ground attack aircrafts taking off from the Hmeimim military base in Latakia Province in Syria, to head back to Russia. (Via AFP)

Press TV has conducted an interview with Gearoid O Colmain, a political analyst, and Richard Millett, a journalist and political commentator, to discuss the recent developments regarding Syria, including Russia’s decision to pull out its military forces from the Arab country.

Colmain says Russia has been able to create a “diplomatic space” and “mechanism of negotiation” to pave the ground for the resolution of the conflict in Syria. He says the Russians’ military presence in Syria has pushed the foreign-backed militants to retreat from their “non-negotiation” policy.

He also says the Russian military operations in Syria have been successful in pushing back the Daesh terrorists and reequipping the Syrian Arab Army.

The analyst says Russia’s airstrikes in Syria have also made the situation difficult for the West to launch ground operation against the Syrian government.

Colmain further says that, based on international law, “no nation-state has the right to demand of another nation-state that its government should dissolve itself.” If the Syrian peace talks in the Swiss city of Geneva are to be successful, international regulations should prevail, he says.

Pointing to the role of the Western powers and their regional allies in the five-year conflict in Syria, he says the United States, Turkey and Saudi Arabia are the main providers of weapons and money to the Takfiri terrorists in the war-ridden Arab country.

Millett, for his part, believes all parties involved in the Syrian conflict are expected to step up their efforts to facilitate the Geneva peace talks.

He also thinks that Russia’s decision to withdraw some of its military forces from Syria is because Moscow is under financial pressure.

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