By Paul Richter & W.J. Hennigan / Tribune Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON—The Obama administration on Friday began military-to-military talks with Russia over the Syrian war, an acknowledgment that Moscow has become an even more important player in the conflict despite US efforts to isolate it. The move is a major victory for Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has been desperate to break out of the diplomatic isolation imposed on Russia because of its support for separatist fighters in its neighbor, Ukraine.
Russia’s economy has been battered by sanctions, low oil prices and a weak ruble, but Putin is hoping to put himself at the center of international negotiations over Syria. He plans to unveil a new diplomatic plan for the conflict this month at the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Until now, the administration had been trying to isolate Russia, and it has loudly denounced the Kremlin for its continuing buildup of troops and arms in Syria.
The shift comes as Russia continues its military buildup in Syria
The most recent addition has been the arrival of four Russian fighter jets at an air base in Latakia province in the country’s northwest, the home territory of Syrian President Bashar Assad and the Alawite religious minority of which he is a part.
Secretary of State John F. Kerry disclosed the opening of talks while on a visit to London. The goal would be to “define some of the different options that are available to us as we consider next steps in Syria,” he said. Shortly after he spoke, the Pentagon said Defense Secretary Ashton Carter had talked by telephone with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, their first conversation since Carter took the post seven months ago.
The opening of talks signaled that the administration recognizes it will have to re-examine core assumptions about the crisis, analysts said. It also raised the question of whether the administration would allow Iran—Assad’ s most important backer—a seat at the negotiating table.
Administration officials “can’t be happy” about talking to the Russians about Syria, said Julianne Smith, a former top adviser to Vice President Joe Biden. “But the reality is that conflict is so transforming Syria’s region, and beyond, that they have no choice but to try to lead. And that requires reaching out to Moscow.”
Iranian participation in talks is ‘the bigger question,’ she said
“Negotiations are all about talking to countries you don’t have a positive relationship with, when you don’t have an alternative.” Smith, who is now with the Center for a New American Security, a Washington-based think tank, said the administration is probably not ready to abandon its insistence that Assad leave Syria.
But she said administration officials might be more flexible on other issues, such as whether to allow some of Assad’s top lieutenants to remain in power. Kerry seemed to hint at some new flexibility in the administration’s stand, at least on the question of how quickly Assad should leave power.
“Our focus remains on destroying [Islamic State] and also on a political settlement with respect to Syria, which we believe cannot be achieved with the long-term presence of Assad,” Kerry said.
“We’re looking for ways in which to try to find a common ground,” he added. “Clearly, if you’re going to have a political settlement, which we’ve always argued is the best and only way to resolve Syria, you need to have conversations with people, and you need to find a common ground.”
His conciliatory comments were in sharp contrast to comments two weeks ago, when, in a phone call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, he demanded Russia scale back its military presence and warned that Russia might “risk confrontation” with US forces.
Now four years old, the Syrian civil war has become ever more threatening to its region as it has sent millions of refugees far from its shores. As the humanitarian toll has risen, the administration has been thrown on the defensive by criticism of its strategy.
TNS