DAMASCUS, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The new UN envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, appeared willing to deal with the protracted Syrian crisis from bottom to top, which could be a more viable approach as those who control the ground are the most influential in reaching a political solution, according to analysts.
Mistura chose his approach by starting from ground, without brandishing high demands or work primarily for a change in the political system in Syria. He wanted to start from scratch.
The new envoy proposed a "freeze of battles" firstly in Syria's northern city of Aleppo and noted that if such freeze worked, it would then be replicated in other Syrian cities. To avoid the tit- for-tat statements and stances of the warring sides of the conflict, he chose the word "freeze," which he interpreted as meaning that all of the parties hold their positions, but without fighting.
In Damascus, the envoy said his plan focuses on the real threat of terrorism and the reduction of violence, and that the plan could be the "building block" toward a political solution in Syria.
"The visit this time follows a briefing I gave at the (UN) Security Council. It's a briefing that was focusing on an action plan not a peace plan. It (peace plan) will come, but meanwhile ( it's) an action plan," he said after his meeting with Syrian officials, mainly President Bashar al-Assad, who said that Mistura 's plan was "worth studying."
"Mistura's plan starts from the bottom to the top, unlike his predecessors, who wanted to start from the top of the pyramid first," Maher Murhej, head of the oppositional Syrian Youth Party, told Xinhua in an interview on Thursday.
He explained that, for instance, the envoy's predecessor, Lakhdar Brahimi, wanted to start from the top of the pyramid with a general political solution, internationally, regionally and eventually internally.
"Mistura started from another vision, which is the resurrection from ground because the ground must be paved by the people who own it, whether the opposition forces or the government troops, a matter which would pave the way through a national dialogue to reach an inclusive political process in a later stage, and I think his chances of success are big," Murhej said.
Murhej said the Syrian leadership has given positive vibes regarding the plan, and even the rebel factions and opposition parties gave some positive signals, even though it was mixed with skepticism.
However, analysts believe that the new Mistura plan represent an international consensus behind it, which gives the sentiment that there is something new being cooked in the international community's venues.
Back to the situation on ground, Murhej said the freeze-battle plan in certain areas is attempting to deal with the Syrian crisis place by place.
"It's like how the situation evolved in Syria area by area. It will also be solved area by area and the example of Aleppo would be replicated in other areas," he remarked.
Explaining why the Geneva talks between the government and the exiled opposition failed earlier this year, Murhej said the Syrian government pretexts about the Geneva conferences were that the exiled opposition had no weight on ground.
"Who own the ground is the one who will eventually impose the political solution. So you have got to build up your political process from the ground, so when it reaches the politicians in the top of the pyramid, I think there would be an inclusive international consensus and clear vision of a solution," Murhej said.
He said "even if the politicians on the highest levels agreed on something, they will still be facing issues on ground by the actual parties. Some of the rebel factions have lost fund and they are now relying on burglary and theft, they can't go back to the government and they are hanged in the middle, so that's why the change must start from ground."
Murhej also pointed out to the international backing of Mistura plan.
"I think that Mistura is not working all by his lonesome, because I think that during his regional tours ahead of his visit to Syria, he had taken the green light and positive signals from the stakeholders."
Even Mistura himself explained that his plan is "different than previous cease-fires ... It's a new way of approaching the de- escalation of violence in particular, in one place to start with Aleppo."
The "freeze" of battles would lead to implementing the UN Security Council's anti-terror resolutions and facilitate humanitarian aid delivery to the war-weary Syrians in Aleppo.
"If that freeze works in one place we can replicate it elsewhere," Mistura said. "If that freeze works, and we hope it will, it can be a building block for a political process."
Meanwhile, Hmaidi Abdullah, a Syrian political researcher, told Xinhua on Thursday that the "general political context" of Mistura 's plan is different.
When the first UN envoy, Kofi Anan, assumed his post, the slogan of the Western powers was the downfall of the Syrian regime. When Lakhdar Brahimi came, the slogan was to change the balance of powers on ground in Syria, in favor of the rebel fighters, Abdullah said.
"Today, we hear from the Americans and others talks about the political solution and the priority of fighting the Islamic State militants and other terrorist-designated groups. This is a different political context that is ruling the mission of the new special envoy," Abdullah said.
He said the new envoy's mission voices the ambitions and aspirations of the concerned parties "so that's why there are expectations that the special envoy's handling of the Syrian crisis would be different than his processors, in a more positive way that would create a wider political ground for a constructive dialogue between the opposition and the government for a political solution in Syria."
Abdullah said the Syrian leadership is "opened" to the new plan, noting, however, that there is a difference between being opened to the proposal and actually accepting it.
The Syrian government, while being opened to the plan, also floated the idea of implementing what it calls "national reconciliation" in Aleppo, akin to what it had done with the rebels in the central province of Homs.
"If the plan was to save Aleppo to freeze the conflict in Aleppo as a prelude to a reconciliation like that of Homs and then dialogue, then the government would accept, but if the aim was to political maneuver to cut the road before the Syrian army, then the Syrian state will not accept," he remarked.
Mistura described his meetings with Syrian officials as " constructive," saying that the Syrian leadership now awaits the results of his upcoming meetings with other regional players who are influential parties in the course of the Syrian crisis, meaning that the envoy will carry the Syrian government's opinion to the international players to reach a formula that could lead to his plan to see light in Syria.
|
