Russia is expected to propose an eight-point plan to end Syria's civil war at talks in Vienna later this week, according to documents obtained by Reuters. The plan would include an 18-month constitutional reform process including members of the Syrian regime and opposition and would conclude with early elections. The proposal does not mandate that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad step down or refrain from participating in elections, a potential sticking point for the plan, but does state that Assad "will not chair the constitutional commission." A spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry refused to discuss the document with Reuters and said that no proposal was being prepared for the talks this week.
Western officials were skeptical of the leaked plan, particularly its allowance for Assad to run for re-election. "The document does not suit a lot of people," an anonymous official told Reuters. On Monday, British Foreign Secretary reiterated the demand that a transition process mandate Assad leaving power. "We do not believe that it is going to be possible to bring the opposition groups into the political process and have an effective ceasefire unless we have a clear point at which President Assad will depart," he told reporters at the United Nations. Separately, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan renewed his call for implementing a no-fly zone in Syria today and said he would raise the issue at a meeting of the G20 in Antalya, Turkey, this week.
Western officials were skeptical of the leaked plan, particularly its allowance for Assad to run for re-election. "The document does not suit a lot of people," an anonymous official told Reuters. On Monday, British Foreign Secretary reiterated the demand that a transition process mandate Assad leaving power. "We do not believe that it is going to be possible to bring the opposition groups into the political process and have an effective ceasefire unless we have a clear point at which President Assad will depart," he told reporters at the United Nations. Separately, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan renewed his call for implementing a no-fly zone in Syria today and said he would raise the issue at a meeting of the G20 in Antalya, Turkey, this week.
