News Analysis: New York meeting on Syria reflects fresh Russian-American understanding

The undergoing world powers' meeting in New York to push for a solution to the Syrian crisis reflects a recently established U.S.-Russian understanding, analysts here said.

During the meeting in New York, world powers are working to bring close the gaps that have for long been preventing reaching a solution in Syria.

One of those snags is the issue of the Syrian presidency, one of the thorniest issues that are widening the gaps between the American and Russian camps.

Two days ago visiting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Kerry urged a focus not on removing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but instead on developing greater cooperation in Syria, a move that reflected a change in the long-adopted "Assad must go" rhetoric by the United States since summer 2011.

Analysts in Syria said Kerry's remarks constituted a shift in the American stance and reflected a new understanding between Russia and America, following the terrorist attacks by the Islamic State (IS) that have started hitting outside the Syrian borders, most recently in Paris where over 120 people were killed.

Mahmoud Muri, a Syrian opposition figure, told Xinhua on Friday that "the meetings between Kerry, Putin and Lavrov in Moscow two days ago and the New York meeting on the Syrian crisis today reflect a Russian-American understanding."

He said the New York meeting comes to stress the new U.S.-Russian understanding and crown the agreement reached in Vienna last month which outlined the parameters of a political plan for the war-torn country.

In November in Vienna, 19 countries, including Syria's allies Russia and Iran, set a target of the first of January for the start of dialogue between representatives of the Syrian government and opposition forces.

The Vienna meeting also saw a UN statement calling for a ceasefire to be established in 14 May 2016 and for free elections to be held a year later.

World powers also agreed in Vienna on the need to strongly hit the IS and quickly solve the Syrian crisis to contain terrorism repercussions in the region and the rest of the world.

Muri said the New York meeting will add to the Vienna talks an identification of the terrorist groups in Syria, another matter that was problematic between Moscow and Washington.

He added that the international powers will decide who is terrorist and who is not among the tens of insurgent groups in Syria, aside from the IS and the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, both being branded terrorists and excluded from any dialogue.

Osama Danura, a political researcher, told Xinhua that the new "rapid" developments and short intervals between international meetings reflect an international desire, largely led by the United Staets and Russia regarding solving the Syrian crisis.

"We have become accustomed to the U.S. statements which contradicts one another within short time. But if we read the new statements we find that there is a shift in the U.S. and international stance. It's obvious that the Russians have succeeded to impose their stance during the recent meetings in Moscow between Kerry and Lavrov regarding the commitment to Vienna talks," Danura said.

He added that Vienna talks included a reiteration on the Syrians right to choose their leadership without foreign dictations.

"It was obvious that the atmospheres of the recent talks in Russia has reflected on the international climates and that was evident in the remarks that were recently made by UN chief Ban Ki-moon, who said that the Syrians can choose the destiny of their leadership and that the political process in Syria cannot rely only on the issue of the president's departure," the analyst said.

He also agreed with Muri, saying the New York meeting will result in categorizing the terrorist groups.

"Some groups will have to change their stances either to stay adopting the terror groups' mentality and this will make them a target to the world guns or choose to fight IS and Nusra," he said.

Danura also thinks the meeting will discuss naming the opposition delegation to the dialogue with the government next month, noting that this could also be crystallized in the next few days.

"So, I think between now and next month new equations regarding the political solution will be crystalized. And I think the new meeting in New York is a sign of the understanding between Moscow and the U.S.," he pointed out.

Anas Joudeh, a Syrian opposition figure, agreed with other analysts that the New York meeting came to crown last week's meetings in Moscow.

"Today's meeting in New York means that there is a new consensus between the U.S. and Moscow regarding the need to find a quick political solution to Syria's crisis. This consensus reflects the U.S. desire to find quick solution to Syria," he said.

He added that one of the pressing issues pushing the world powers to work to settle the situation in Syria is the spillover effects of the nearly five-year-old conflict, mainly the terrorism which has reached European countries. Endit