Summit on Syria to explore ways for political solution

By Nilay Kar Onum

DIYARBAKIR, Turkey

The four-way Syria summit to be held in Istanbul on Saturday will focus on finding new ways to reach a political solution in Syria, Turkey's presidential aide said on Friday.

“Our main purpose at this summit will be focusing on what kind of new ways could be found based on not military, but a political solution in Syria,” said Ibrahim Kalin, speaking at an international congress in the southeastern Diyarbakir province.

The summit, hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will see the participation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and French President Emmanuel Macron.

At the summit, Erdogan will address in particular preserving last month's Idlib deal and preventing violations by the Bashar al-Assad regime, Kalin said.

Ankara and Moscow agreed in September to establish a demilitarized zone in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib.

Under the deal, opposition groups in Idlib are to remain in areas where they are already present, while Russia and Turkey carry out joint patrols in the area to help prevent a resumption of fighting.

On Oct. 10, the Turkish Defense Ministry announced that the Syrian opposition and other anti-regime groups had completed the withdrawal of heavy weapons from the Idlib demilitarized zone.

Staffan de Mistura, the UN special Syria envoy, who is also invited to the summit, will deliver a speech reviewing his efforts to date, according to Kalin.

“Our chief concrete expectation of this summit is that steps to be taken for a political solution are finalized and a roadmap is determined,” he said.

Turkey expects the summit in Istanbul to help form a committee to rewrite Syria's constitution, he added.

Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.

Turkey hosts some 3.5-4 million Syrian refugees, more than any other country in the world.