Global Powers Call for Political Transition in Syria

Russia Blocks Assad's Exclusion

World and regional powers today agreed to support a watered-down version of a plan put forward by Special Envoy Kofi Annan to promote a political transition in Syria. The agreement reached in Geneva did not include a specific call for Bashar al-Assad to step down as president, a move regarded as critical for the transition plan to success but firmly opposed by Russia. 

Annan insisted, however, that the people of Syria would not select “people with blood on the hands” to lead them during the transition. But he did not explain how he could pull off forming a transitional national unity government without Assad’s presence and without the firm support of all five permanent members of the UN Security Council.

Today’s meeting of the so-called "Syria Action Group" included foreign ministers from all five permanent members of the UN Security Council, as well as Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar and Turkey and officials from the EU and the Arab League.

Syria Talks Reportedly Deadlocked

A conference called by Special Envoy Kofi Annan to end the Syria crisis appeared "on the brink of failure," with the U.S. and Russia still divided over a role for Bashar Assad in a transition government, AP reported today. Russia has refused to back a provision in Annan’s plan that would call for Assad to step down to make way for a unity government, a stance that could derail the entire plan.

Annan’s proposal would have created a transitional national unity government comprising of pro-government as well as pro-opposition members to implement an ambitious timeline ending the fighting and preparing the country for a peaceful transition to a post conflict period of national reconciliation. Presence of Assad in a transition government, presumably as its head, would be unacceptable to the opposition.

Differences Over Assad Dims Prospects for Today’s Syria Meeting

U.S. and Russian foreign ministers meeting in St. Petersburg today ahead of Saturday’s gathering of Syria ‘action group’ in Geneva, reportedly failed to bridge critical differences over a transitional plan to end the crisis, leaving meeting’s prospects uncertain. (Los Angeles Times)

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton proposes that as part of any transition out of the current crisis, Syrian President Bashar Assad must go. Russia’s Sergei Lavrov opposes any move to force out Assad.

In spite of the disagreement, Lavrov expressed optimism that today’s meeting in Geneva would be successful, saying that there are no significant differences between the U.S. and Russia on “most things.”

"We have a very good chance tomorrow in Geneva to find a common denominator and find a path forward in order to stimulate the implementation of Annan's plan," Lavrov said at the end of his meeting with Clinton. "We're agreeing on most things." (RIA Novosti/LA Times, 29 June)