Russian, Turkish, Iranian leaders say political solution for Syria ‘in our power’ at Ankara summit

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — The fifth round of trilateral talks between Russia, Turkey and Iran took place late on Monday in Ankara, in search of a political solution for the Syrian crisis. With the aim of bringing “more peace” to Syria, the leaders pointed to the full formation of a constitution committee to be tasked with amendment of the Syrian constitution.

The summit is a follow up to multiple rounds of Astana talks that began in Kazakhstan in January 2017 to seek a diplomatic solution to years of civil war in Syria.

The talks were led by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. The three leaders emphasized the importance of resolving Syrian issues through the formation of a constitution committee. 

Agreement on the formation of the committee was first made in January 2018 at the Syrian National Dialogue Congress in Russia. "On its outcomes,” Putin said today, “a decision was made to form the Constitutional Committee, whose aim is to develop the parameters for Syria’s future structure of the state.”

“Now, we have to launch its activity in Geneva, especially now that all committee’s members have been selected,” reported Russian state-owned TASS.

Erdogan said the committee is soon to start work, stressing its urgency.

"We are at a stage where we have to feel more responsible to bring about peace in Syria. [Implementing] the elements of the political solution [in Syria] is in our power," he said.

The aims of any constitution committee have been a point of contention in Syria for years. Opposition groups say the task of the committee must be the drafting a whole new constitution for Syria, while Damascus has agreed only to make amendments. 

In apparent alignment with the Assad regime’s stance, the committee is tasked with recommending amendments to the current constitution, to be submitted to a consultation meeting later this year. 

The body is expected to include 50 members from each government, the Syrian opposition, and the United Nations. Russia, Turkey and Iran will be its guarantors.

Rouhani , whose country is a main backer of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, said during the summit that the “revising and reforming” of the current Syrian constitution will be based on the will of Syrians. 

“Revising and reforming the current Syrian constitution based on the will of the people of Syria can be an important step towards ending the current crisis. The efforts of the three countries and the UN Secretary-General's representative have made significant progress in the process of forming a constitutional committee. It is necessary to commend the constructive cooperation and engagement of the Syrian government in this field,” he said.

The current Syrian constitution has been in place since February 2012 — adopted a few months after the continuing civil war broke out.

Kurds, who make up about 10 percent of the Syrian population, want their rights guaranteed in the new or amended constitution. However, little attention has been given to them during discussions.

Thousands of Kurds have been denied identity cards, mother tongue education and wider political rights during the reign of both Bashar al- Assad and his father, Hafez.

The Kurdish-led, multi ethnic Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who control most of northeastern Syria have not been consulted on the committee’s formation, as they are viewed by Turkey as the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - designated as terrorist organization by Ankara. However, the SDF has been the main local ally of the US-led International Coalition against the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria.

The next meeting between the three countries will take place in Iran in the coming two months, Erdogan said. 

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