- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke for several hours with Russia鈥檚 Vladimir Putin, France鈥檚 Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel about the Syrian conflict
- The talks came after a week of escalating violence in Idlib culminated in Syrian regime artillery fire killing seven civilians
ISTANBUL: The leaders of Turkey, Russia, France and Germany on Saturday called for a political solution to Syria鈥檚 devastating seven-year civil war and a lasting cease-fire in the last major rebel-held bastion of Idlib.
A joint statement adopted at the end of a major summit in Istanbul said the countries were committed to working 鈥渢ogether in order to create conditions for peace and stability in Syria.鈥�
It also 鈥渟tressed the importance of a lasting cease-fire鈥� in Idlib, while hailing 鈥減rogress鈥� following a deal last month between Syrian-regime supporter Russia and rebel-backer Turkey to create a buffer zone around the northwestern province.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke for several hours with Russia鈥檚 Vladimir Putin, France鈥檚 Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel about the Syrian conflict, in which more than 360,000 people have been killed since 2011.
Their statement, read by Erdogan, called for a committee to be established to draft Syria鈥檚 post-war constitution before the end of the year, 鈥減aving the way for free and fair elections鈥� in the war-torn country.
It also said there was 鈥渢he need to ensure humanitarian organizations鈥� rapid, safe and unhindered access throughout Syria and immediate humanitarian assistance to reach all people in need.鈥�
The talks came after a week of escalating violence in Idlib culminated in Syrian regime artillery fire killing seven civilians on Friday, the highest death toll there since the fragile cease-fire began last month.
Following the joint news conference in Istanbul, the leaders spoke separately, with Macron urging Russia to pressure the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad to bring about a 鈥渟table and lasting cease-fire in Idlib.鈥�
鈥淲e rely on Russia to exercise very clear pressure on the regime which depends on it for survival,鈥� he said.
However Putin warned that if 鈥渞adicals鈥� were to 鈥渓aunch armed provocations from the Idlib zone, Russia reserves the right to give active assistance to the Syrian government in liquidating this source of terrorist threat.鈥�
Merkel, meanwhile, said the leaders 鈥渉ave the duty to prevent another humanitarian disaster.鈥�
鈥淭he challenge is to end two wars: The war against terror and the war of the regime against large parts of its own population,鈥� she said.
鈥淎 solution cannot happen through military means but only through political negotiations under the leadership of the United Nations.鈥�
A rival United Nations plan for a committee to write the constitution ran aground this week, with UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura, who attended the summit, saying Damascus rejected the UN having a role in the selection process.
The summit also addressed the plight of the millions displaced by the grinding conflict, saying that conditions needed to be created 鈥渢hroughout the country for the safe and voluntary return of refugees.鈥�
However whether or not those forced to flee the country would be allowed to vote in a future election was left for the separate press conferences.
鈥淲e must advance with the political process at the end of which there must be free elections open to all Syrians -鈥� including those in the diaspora,鈥� Merkel said.
Erdogan, a vocal opponent of Assad, agreed, saying that Syrians 鈥渋nside and outside鈥� the country must decide the president鈥檚 fate.
Aid groups have warned that a Syrian government military offensive in Idlib, home to three million people, could spark one of the worst humanitarian disasters of the seven-year war.
With an assault by government troops seeming imminent, Moscow and Ankara agreed on September 17 to create a 15-20 kilometer-wide demilitarised zone ringing Idlib as Turkey sought to avoid an attack leading to a further influx of people across its border.
On Friday, Syria鈥檚 UN envoy Bashar Jaafari maintained that the buffer zone is temporary and that Idlib would eventually revert to government control.
Turkey and Russia have held several talks with Iran on the Syrian conflict in efforts that have often been greeted with suspicion in the West, but Saturday鈥檚 summit was the first to include the EU鈥檚 two most significant national leaders.
Syria鈥檚 opposition, which has previously described Russia鈥檚 military intervention in 2015 as an occupation, on Friday said it welcomed dialogue with Moscow.
However US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis told a security conference in Bahrain that Russia was no replacement for the United States.
鈥淩ussia鈥檚 presence in the region cannot replace the longstanding, enduring, and transparent US commitment to the Middle East,鈥� Mattis said.