Agreement on Syria ceasefire significant: Activist

Press TV has interviewed Ken Stone, with the Hamilton Coalition to Stop the War, on the announcement by Russia that parties to the conflict in Syria have agreed to a ceasefire, which is due to take effect within a week.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: These commitments are good on paper but actions speak louder than words. I mean, how promising can this agreement be?

Stone: I think it’s promising because of several factors. For the first time, according to Mr. Lavrov, the US-led coalition and the Russian-led coalition, who are both operating in Syria, one, the former, without the permission of the Syrian government, the latter, with the permission of the Syrian government, have for the first time agreed to work together militarily to defeat ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra. This is a significant step forward.

And secondly, they’ve agreed to try and achieve a ceasefire within a week; they have agreed to provide humanitarian assistance, and according to Mr. Lavrov, not just for the refugees but also for the six or seven million internally displaced Syrians, the IDPs, as he labeled them, people who are forced from their homes by the invasion and occupation of the foreign-based terrorist mercenaries.

And finally, they have agreed to try to restart the peace talks in Geneva. So, yes, it’s quite positive. Is it a breakthrough? I don’t think so. In winding down these major wars, they’re usually only little incremental steps over a significant period of time before the war is actually wound down.

But I do believe that this is a significant step forward. I think the main points — from the point of view of the international community and the peace movement — are ‘are these satisfactory to the government of Syria? Do they guarantee the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Syria?’ I think Mr. Lavrov is very concerned about that; but Mr. Kerry keeps talking about the regime in Syria as if it’s not a legitimate government. He still has not gotten to the point recognizing or stopped demonizing the government of Syria.

Finally, I think that it was very interesting that Mr. Lavrov said, ‘If we can achieve cooperation on winding down this war in Syria, then, why can’t the Russian government and the American government do likewise on Ukraine and Palestine?’

And from the point of view of the peace movement, we would love to see some international cooperation to wind down these crisis points and bring about a generalized peace in the Middle East.

Press TV: What will happen if this agreement fails to deliver?

Stone: Well, if the agreement fails to deliver, then, it comes down to the facts on the ground. And I do believe that the Syrian Arab Army is making very important strides in liberating parts of the country that have been taken over by the foreign mercenaries and held for five years. And in fact, I think that the Russian military and diplomatic offensive in Syria has brought the Americans to the point that they are actually willing to sit down and talk about peace in Syria.

So, my feeling is that if the talks do break down, if they don’t go anywhere, then hopefully the Syrian Arab Army will settle the issue and win the fight on the ground.

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