On January 29, Staffan de Mistura of the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria held talks with a Syrian government delegation in Geneva, Switzerland, kicking off a new round of peace talks. In line with relevant UN resolutions and the design of the second foreign ministers’ meeting on Syria, the peace talks between the Syrian government and the opposition parties will last for six months. The first round of the talks is expected to be held for two to three weeks, covering four areas, namely, the political process, ceasefire, provisions for humanitarian assistance, and the fight against terrorism. This round of negotiations was scheduled to start on January 25, but was delayed due to a lack of consensus on the composition of the opposition delegation—worrisome news for those who care about the Syrian peace process.
In January, Saudi Arabia and Iran, two countries with significant leverage in Syria, severed diplomatic ties, adding to the uncertainties of the Syrian issue being settled politically. The good news is that Russia and the United States have reached common ground in their mediation efforts. During his phone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that both Russia and the U.S. put great emphasis on forming a truly representative delegation for the opposition to ensure that the agenda of the peace talks meets the requirement of the UN Security Council resolutions on Syria and respects the right of the Syrian people to determine the destiny of their own country. Thanks to the efforts of the U.S., Russia and a few other countries, the opposition parties in Syria ultimately agreed to come to the negotiating table in Geneva, bringing a ray of hope to those who wish to see Syria embark on a peaceful track.
The Syrian conflict has dragged on for five years, taking the lives of tens of thousands of people, displacing several million civilians, and thus triggering the most serious humanitarian crisis the world has seen since the Second World War. It has affected the social, economic and political landscape, the cultural tradition as well as the order of the region in Syria and beyond. Meanwhile, the Islamic State (IS), an extremist organization which has emerged and spread along with the development of the Syrian conflict and has become a common enemy of mankind, is committing extremist violence and atrocities that are devastating the lives of people of different beliefs, races, and nationalities. The persistence and severity of the destabilizing effect of the Syrian crisis has put an unbearable burden on the shoulders of regional countries as they strive for peace and development.
In this sense, it is crucial to promote counter-terrorism and political settlement, while pushing forward humanitarian assistance in a holistic and sustained fashion, so as to effectively ease and curb the deterioration of the Syrian crisis, and guard against more serious humanitarian crisis. Political settlement is the only way out for the Syrian crisis and the fundamental solution to the humanitarian and refugee issues in Syria. Parties concerned need to shoulder their respective responsibilities and obligations, and take effective steps to implement the UN Security Council Resolution 2258 and other relevant resolutions. Transnational assistance and counter-terrorism efforts of the international community should form synergy to enhance effectiveness. Settlement of the Syrian crisis should be driven by the dual engines of counter-terrorism and peace talks.
In fighting terrorism, we must not underestimate the contagious capacity of the IS virus and the possibility that the “tumor” (the IS headquarters) may move elsewhere. Some analyses suggest that it is extremely difficult to wipe out the IS in the Middle East. The organization is more likely to change its gathering place in the future. It may even continue to exist in different names and forms, and continue to do harm to the Middle East and other parts of the world. Some people warn that Libya, which has been plagued by war and conflict, and Tunis, which was once again plunged into turmoil recently, may become new IS headquarters.
With this backdrop, counter-terrorism coalitions established for various purposes should abandon their “political colors” and bear in mind the goal of pursuing well being for the entirety of humanity. On the basis of relevant UN resolutions, they should discuss and formulate an integrated, effective, and efficient counter-terrorism strategy. Only with UN leadership can the world win the war against terrorism in a truly effective manner.
The new round of Syrian peace talks has not come easily and it is not hard to imagine how difficult and long the peace process will be. But progress in the talks is what the Syrian people hope to see, and what the international community aspires to see materialize. Parties concerned, therefore, should act in the spirit of the UN Security Council Resolution 2254 and other relevant resolutions, meet each other half way, face squarely the humanitarian disaster in Syria and the spread of terrorism, cherish the hard-won opportunity of peace talks, and work in concert to ease the tension and bring about peace in Syria.
The Middle East refugee crisis in 2015 has exerted huge impact on Europe and sent shockwaves across the world. It has also deepened people’s understanding of the fact that we all live in a community of shared future. The international community should pursue the larger interest of maintaining global stability and well-being, join hands to advance the process of political transition in Syria and unite as one in the fight against terrorism, so as to shed the light of humanitarianism on the conflict-torn Syrian people and turn their dream of building a peaceful homeland into reality.
