IMESClub presents the extract of Vitaly Naumkin's interview to MK.
The informal meeting of Syrian authorities and opposition members decided to be held upon the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs initiative in Moscow on January 26-29th might be more representative and free than previous events of this kind. This was told by the meeting moderator Director of the Institute of Oriental Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences, Vitaly Naumkin in his exclusive interview to MK. According to Dr. Naumkin invitations to Syrian opposition members were sent "on individual basis" in order the negotiating parties to present only themselves rather than some sort of organizations.
What will the inter-Syrian meeting that is being prepared in Moscow be? Are there any details?
It has character of preliminary consultation meeting or communications between different groups of the Syrian political opposition and civil society with representatives of the Syrian Arab Republic government at "Moscow ground" offered by the MFA of Russia. I am honored to be assigned by the MFA as a moderator of this meeting. It will last for four days during January 26-29th and will consist of two parts. The first part to be held on January 26-27th is a meeting of the Syrian political opposition and civil society representatives without participation on behalf of the Syrian government. On January 28-29th the government delegation of the Syrian Arab Republic, ie the government in place, will join the meeting. In Moscow free dialogue will take place with open agenda to discuss all issues related to plausible reconciliation in Syria. Such inclusive dialogue is impossible without preliminary conditions. Moreover as one can see from the meeting format the MFA of Russia offers only place for negotiations, namely the Syrians will discuss all issues dealing with counterterrorism and political settlement on their own. I am informed (provided that I don't represent any state institution or civil society and act in modest role of all sessions' moderator) that Moscow dialogue is not an alternative to Geneva process or two Geneva conferences the second of which ended in nothing. There was the Geneva Communiqué as of June 20, 2012, adopted by the Security Council Resolution 2118. Russia is committed to principles of this Communiqué and the meeting will be held on the basis of this commitment but with no external interference as noninterference in inter-Syrian affairs is, in my opinion, one more principle that Russian diplomacy is guided by. I personally find this approach very attractive and affirmative. Additionally, as far as I know, this meeting is not only not an alternative to "Geneva" on the contrary it may serve a place for some kind of jump to "Geneva" aimed at turning back to the Geneva format if the Syrians succeed in reaching agreement on anything. Today it is absolutely obvious that there's a need to negotiate, a bloodshed must be stopped as it is clear that there are Syrian patriots in both parties to the conflict (or even in several parties to the conflict in a manner of speaking): on behalf of both the opposition and government forces, those loyal to the government. There are patriots among the opposition members and I hope that people who have agreed to arrive in Moscow will actually negotiate from stance of the Syrian patriots interested in keeping their country's integrity and stopping of fratricidal bloodshed. Invitations to participate in the meeting were sent by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to opposition members on individual basis. That is to say people who arrive to attend the meeting won't represent any kind of organizations. I hesitate to predict, but I think if they demonstrate will to express any consolidated opinion on behalf of their organizations, they will have opportunity to do so. However they were invited on individual basis in order to avoid any kind of competitive atmosphere and exclusiveness, i.e. that some organization is more or less important. I guess those who don't attend the meeting, maybe there are such people that don't accept the invitation, are isolating themselves and look in not very good way as this means exactly an open dialogue. Nobody imposes nothing and sets no preliminary conditions, and it seems to me there are a least two components of such dialogue. One the one hand, it is countering horrible terrorism and extremism, in particular ISIS and some other organizations threatening both the regime and moderate opposition. On the other hand, it is an absolutely obvious need for renewal, reforms, some kind of other movements aimed at conciliating positions of parties and making political settlement, that has no alternative, possible. Any dialogue is a two-way street. However everything should be settled by the Syrians and nobody would impose anything here. This will probably be the core of such meeting and my modest task is to conduct sessions and give everyone opportunity to express opinion.
Regarding the substantive part of the meeting is there any particular agenda?
No, there isn't. The dialogue has open agenda, the meeting organizers set no questions. The Syrians will decide what to discuss on their own. This is a national agenda defined by the meeting participants.
Translated by Evgeniya Efimova
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