Russian airstrikes in Syria to face scrutiny at Munich talks

WASHINGTON, February 10: Russia’s stepped up aerial bombardment in Syria will be a focal point for the United States and other members of the International Syria Support Group when it meets this week in Germany.
The group, which includes Syria-backers Russia and Iran, is meeting Thursday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.
It is the group’s first full meeting since U.N.-mediated proximity talks on a political transition in Syria bogged down, partly because of opposition protests against Russian-backed aerial assaults in Aleppo.
The bombing campaign has forced thousands of Syrians to flee their homes, with many of them heading toward the already crowded Turkish border.
On Tuesday, the day before he heads to Munich, Secretary of State John Kerry raised concerns about Russia during a State Department appearance with Egypt’s foreign minister, Sameh Shoukry.
“Russia’s activities in Aleppo and the region right now are making it more difficult to be able to come to the table to be able to have a serious conversation,” said Kerry.
Egypt is also part of the International Syria Support Group, which has been backing U.N.-mediated talks designed to lead to a political transition in Syria. Foreign Minister Shoukry said a successful resumption of talks could eventually increase regional stability.
“Hopefully the political process that has been initiated in Syria will provide us all with more ability to control the spread of terrorism in Syria and for that country to regain its stability,” he said.
Kerry met in December with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow. In recent weeks, Kerry and Lavrov have held a series of phone calls on the crisis in Syria.
“I would not read too much into the Russian participation on the political track,” said former U.S. ambassador to Syria Robert Ford.
Ford, now a scholar at the Middle East Institute, said it is more important to watch Russia’s military action in Syria, a move that he said is unlikely to receive a strong challenge from the United States.-Agencies