Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Hassan Rohani announced on Monday (September 16th) that they have agreed on a constitutional committee for Syria, made up of pro-government, opposition and independent members. charged with rewriting the Constitution as part of a political solution to the civil war in the country. This committee is to pave the way for negotiations in Geneva, the Russian president told reporters in Ankara.

Turkey, Russia and Iran, the main international actors in the conflict in Syria, have also pledged to prevent a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Idleb's rebel stronghold and to protect the civilian population there. Hassan Rohani, for his part, said he hoped that elections would take place in Syria in 2020 or 2021.

"Determination"

These promises were featured in a joint communiqué issued after a summit in Ankara. In the text, the three leaders also stressed "the need to enforce calm on the ground with the full implementation of all agreements relating to Idleb", including that concluded a year ago by Ankara and Moscow, which had averted a vast and seemingly imminent offensive by Russian-backed regime forces.

The three leaders also said they were "alarmed by the risk of a further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in the Idleb region due to the continuing escalation" and agreed to "take concrete steps to to reduce violations ".

They also expressed "serious concern" over the "increased presence" of the jihadist group Hayat Al-Shahr al-Shah (HTS), the former Syrian branch of Al Qaeda, and "reiterated their determination" to eliminate it. futures.

"Productive meeting"

They also agreed "to take concrete measures, on the basis of previous agreements, to ensure the protection of the civilian population".

This is the fifth summit on Syria since 2017 between Erdogan, whose country supports the Syrian opposition, Putin and Rohani, guarantors of the Damascus regime. "The meeting was very productive and successful," said Vladimir Putin, who stressed in opening the need to continue "an uncompromising fight against terrorists in Syria".

As the victory of Bashar al-Assad seems more and more won, the priority for Ankara is to guard against a new massive influx of refugees from Idleb in northwestern Syria.

Despite calls for a lasting cease-fire, this area, home to about three million people, is under attack by the Syrian regime. Ankara has, under an agreement concluded last year with Moscow, twelve observation posts, one of which is now surrounded by the troops of Damascus.

Tensions between Washington and Tehran

Sporadic strikes continue in Idleb, despite a fragile ceasefire decreed on August 31, after four months of bombing by the regime and the Russian ally killed, according to the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights. Man (OSDH), more than 960 civilians.

The summit took place as Turkey and the United States strive to create a buffer zone east of the Euphrates that would separate the Turkish border from Syrian areas controlled by a Kurdish militia, backed by Washington but considered "terrorist" by Ankara.

With AFP and AP