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‘Devil in the details’

May 10,2017 - Last updated at May 10,2017

The much-touted plan for de-escalation zones in Syria, reached by Russia, Turkey and Iran at the recent Astana peace talks, is not a done deal yet, it seems.

The complicating factor, as expected, is the role of Iran as one of the guarantors of the deal; it raises many questions and irks many a party.

As a result, the US is not clearly on board. US Secretary of Defence Jim Mattis expressed some doubts already, saying that while there is a general support for the idea, in principle, the “devil is in the details”.

And the details are many, including who is going to monitor commitment to the deal and which party is going to enforce it, especially when Damascus seems to reject any UN role.

The US, and all those opposing an Iranian role, will want to know more about Tehran’s dubious participation in the deal, especially since it does not even neighbour Syria, like Turkey.

Iran deploys its Revolutionary Guards in the armed conflict in Syria and has been fighting on the side of the Damascus regime all along.

That does not make it a friend of the opposition, whose representatives at the talks initially stormed out because Iran was involved.

Russia has also been fighting on the regime side, but the Shiite element is most prominent in the rejection of Iranian involvement.

The US State Department openly questioned Iran’s neutrality and expressed scepticism about its part in the deal.

If that is not enough, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem has cast even more doubts about the viability and sustainability of the pact when he said that although the government supports the deal, Syria will continue to fight terrorist factions, a euphemism for all the opposition groups.

Damascus must be content with the deal, since two of its three sponsors are on its side, but only time will tell where it will be going.

Elaborating on the details, clearly defining them, will help fill out the blanks.

 

So far, the deal appears precarious, with few chances of success, which makes it important to co-opt the US as a serious partner in the accord to ensure its viability.

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