German minister calls for resumption of Syria talks

Abu Dhabi - Syrian peace talks in Geneva were suspended last month, but Staffan de Mistura, UN special envoy for Syria, is pushing to re-open negotiations by the end of this week.

Looking to reopen Syrian peace negotiations, Germany's Foreign Minister Frank Walter-Steinmeier came on an urgent visit to the UAE as part of his Gulf tour on Monday.
During his one-day stay in Abu Dhabi before leaving for Muscat, Walter-Steinmeier met with His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
"We talked about the crises and conflicts in the region, about the military situation in Yemen and how to find solutions to return to the negotiation table for Syrian peace talks," said Walter-Steinmeier.
"We hope to reopen the Geneva discussions as soon as possible," he added.
Syrian peace talks in Geneva were suspended last month, but Staffan de Mistura, UN special envoy for Syria, is pushing to re-open negotiations by the end of this week.
A partial truce, drawn up by the US and Russia, came into force on February 27, but fighting still continues and 135 people reported killed since.
Overall, the violence in Syria has declined since the ceasefire and Germany is now pushing to bring every one back to the peace talks table before it all goes downhill again.
"The question now is: Will truce continue until we restart negotiations?" asked Walter-Steinmeier.
"We should not lose much more time. There is no reason to postpone the negotiations in Geneva."
Walter-Steinmeier hopes negotiations will be picked up from where they were and will evolve, once again under the supervision of UN.
"After five years of civil war, we have the moral and political responsibility to cease fire in Syria," added Walter-Steinmeier.
Shaikh Abdullah pointed out the UAE has great friends and partners in European Union, Russia and the US, but their support is needed on the ground as well, not just at the negotiation table. He also pointed out that Syrian peace is severely hardened by Iran's interference.
"It is a huge burden when Iran comes and tries to interfere in the Arab world," he stressed.
"Bagdad and Damascus should understand that all parties must take part in peace talks and that Iran does not export a religious ideology, but a terrorist dogma."
"Iran should show us that as a neighbour it can accept dialogue with the countries of the region," added Shaikh Abdullah.
The UAE has also been under fire, particularly from Europe and the US that it has not taken in any Syrian refugees. Shaikh Abdullah pointed out that before the conflict began five years ago, the UAE had 100,000 Syrian nationals living here, while now there are 200,000 more.
"We don't call them refugees, but there are more Syrians living in the UAE since the conflict," he said.
The UAE is also helping sustain the Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, the "key host countries", as well as helping the seven million displaced people in Syria.
"The best way to help the Syrian people is to resolve the situation in Syria," he concluded.
silvia@khaleejtimes.com