Putin Announces Partial Russian Withdrawal From Syria, Surprises Foes
In a stunning bold stroke, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the withdrawal of Russia's expeditionary forces in Syria in an attempt to seriously get the Syrian peace talks moving after stalled negotiations in the past hampered the effort to end the five-year-civil war that already claimed 250, 000 lives.
The decision came about after Putin telephoned Assad on March 14 urging the embattled regime to come to terms with the opposition, at least by appearing to do so, in Geneva peace talks. Surprisingly, the announcement followed an earlier statement from the Syrian foreign minister saying that negotiating over a post-Assad scenario would a 'red line'.
"I hope today's decision will be a good signal for all conflicting parties. I hope it will sizably increase trust of all participants in the process," remarked Putin as quoted by US and World Report News.
Kremlin reasoned that recent military successes by the Russian armed forces prompted Putin to scale back the intervention after achieving its objectives. However, many analysts think otherwise believing that the decision is intended to make Russia a major player in the peace negotiations and Middle East affairs.
A senior Western diplomat who is engaged in the Geneva talks said that Putin signals Assad to reach a compromise and exit gracefully at some point.
"Assad can shape the future constitution, but Russia knows he has no choice but to stand aside at some point, otherwise there will be stalemate. The Russians have strengthened Assad's position enough so he can come to the negotiating table closer to a state of equilibrium, but they want this war to come to an end. They are not inextricably bound up with him, so long as they maintain their influence," the diplomat said as quoted by Daily Mail.
On the other hand, Paul Sanders, an expert on Russian affairs, cautioned that the recent decision only means that Moscow is trying to modulate the timing of events based on recent developments.
"Russia's objectives all along were to prevent Assad's defeat, improve his negotiating position, and maneuver the United States into some kind of dialogue about Syria. Moscow has accomplished all three of these aims to varying degrees. Moreover, the withdrawal will be neither immediate nor complete - meaning that the Kremlin can modulate the timing or even reverse the flow if Assad faces new challenges," remarked Sanders as quoted in a Voice of America report.
