William Moser: Washington does not want to return as an observer in the Astana talks on Syria
The US ambassador to Kazakhstan, William Moser, said that he ruled out the return of the United States as an observer in the Astana talks, stressing that his country considers the Geneva talks under the auspices of the United Nations the best way to resolve the conflict in Syria.
“We believe that the Geneva formula, sponsored by the United Nations, is the most appropriate process for resolving this conflict,” Moser said in a briefing.
“Therefore, we do not want to be observers in another operation now,” Moser added in his briefing, according to the Russian Sputnik news agency.
The United States previously participated in the Astana talks, which are sponsored by Turkey, Russia and Iran, in 2017 as an observer before it stopped doing so.
Since 2017, the parties participating in the Astana track have held 15 rounds, which have contributed to strengthening the Assad regime’s control over opposition areas through the so-called “de-escalation zones”.
Prior to the last round of talks last February, Russian media reported that the Russian President’s special envoy to Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, said that the United States had refused to participate as an observer in the “Astana Formula” meeting.
Washington had repeatedly stressed over the past months that it supported the solution in Syria in accordance with UN Resolution 2254 and the Geneva formula.
