Russia, Turkey and Iran agree to plan for Syria 'congress'

ASTANA: Russia, Turkey and Iran pledged in Kazakhstan Tuesday to bring the Syrian regime and its opponents together for a "congress" to help nudge peace efforts towards a more lasting political settlement. A joint statement released by Russia and Iran, who support the regime, and Turkey, which backs the rebels, referred to an "initiative of Russia" to hold a congress to bring Syrian government representatives and opposition groups together. A statement on the Russian foreign ministry website on Tuesday listed 33 Syrian organisations invited to a "Congress of Syrian National Dialogue" in the Russian city of Sochi on November 18. The congress proposal was one of the few notable outcomes from the seventh round of talks on Syria held in the Kazakh capital Astana and widely viewed as Moscow's attempt to stamp its own imprint on a settlement for Syria. However, representatives of the Syrian opposition in Astana immediately cast doubt on the plan. Yahya al Aridi, an advisor for the Syrian opposition, called the suggestion "a jump in the air to another place". The talks that began in January have run parallel to negotiations taking place in Geneva with the backing of the United Nations. Recent rounds of talks in the Central Asian nation have focused on ironing out the details of a Russia-led plan establishing four de-escalation zones in Syria. The plan was first tabled in Astana in May to minimise fighting between government forces and moderate rebel factions and improve civilians' access to aid. But international organisations have warned that the zones are failing to curb a recent uptick in fighting that has seen the humanitarian situation in the country worsen significantly.