Russia ready to discuss Syria ceasefire at international talks

(MENAFN- The Journal Of Turkish Weekly) Russia said Feb. 11 it was ready to discuss a ceasefire in Syria as foreign ministers gathered in Munich in a bid to kick-start peace talks derailed by the regime onslaught on the besieged city of Aleppo.

Tens of thousands of Syrians have fled to the Turkish border as government forces backed byRussianbombers and Iranian fighters bombard the northern city leaving the opposition there virtually surrounded.Russia’s deputy foreign minister Gennady Gatilov said Moscow was “ready to discuss the modalities of a ceasefire” and that peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition rebels could “possibly start earlier” than the proposed date of Feb. 25 AFP reported.

The first round of talks in Geneva collapsed earlier this month over the bombardment of Aleppo where observers say at least 500 people have been killed since the Russian-backed regime offensive began on Feb. 1.

TheRussiandefense ministry said on Feb. 11 that its planes carried out 510 military sorties in Syria during the period Feb. 4-11 and they had hit about 1900 targets in Syrian provinces of Aleppo Latakia Hama Deir ez-Zor Daraa Homs Hasakah and Raqqah.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and hisRussiancounterpart Sergei Lavrov will host foreign ministers from the 17-nation Syria contact group in Munich on Feb. 11 for a meeting billed as a moment of truth for the floundering peace process.

Washington said it wants a ceasefire and humanitarian access to besieged cities but has threatened an unspecified “Plan B” if talks fail as tension mounts with Moscow over its air campaign.

“There is no question... that Russia’s activities in Aleppo and in the region right now are making it much more difficult to be able to come to the table and to be able to have a serious conversation” Kerry said this week.

U.S. officials talking to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity saidRussiahas proposed a March 1 ceasefire in Syria but Washington believes Moscow is giving itself and the Syrian government three weeks to try to crush moderate rebel groups.

The United States has countered with demands for the fighting to stop immediately the officials said on Feb. 10.

One of the U.S officials said the U.S. cannot accept Russia’s offer because opposition forces could suffer irreversible losses in northern and southern Syria before the ceasefire ever takes hold.

The officials said the U.S. counterproposal is simple: A ceasefire that is effective immediately and is accompanied by full humanitarian access to Syria’s besieged civilian centers.

Meanwhile theRussiandefense ministry lashed out at the U.S.-led coalition in Syria for refusing to provide intelligence on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) targets there.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said in a statement on Feb. 11 thatRussiahas shared its own intelligence with the United States that it has “gratefully taken” but has not reciprocated.

Konashenkov saidRussiahas repeatedly asked the U.S. and its allies for intelligence in response to the accusations that Russians are targeting the “wrong objects.”

The U.S. special envoy for the fight against ISIL Brett McGurk said Russia’s bombing campaign was “directly enabling” the jihadists.

Russia andIranare adamant the rebels in Aleppo are just as much “terrorists” as ISIL and there can be no settlement until they have been militarily defeated.

The rebels say they will not return to talks in Geneva unless government sieges and air strikes end.