'Syria gains frustrate regime change plans sought by colonizing powers'

A new round of Syria peace talks has been held in the Kazakh capital Astana, bringing together the foreign-backed militant groups and representatives of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad for the first time since the United Nations-brokered negotiations in Geneva last year. However, there is one big distinction between the latest push for peace in Syria and the previous attempts. No high-level representatives were present from the United States, Saudi Arabia and the NATO members, the very countries that have been insisting on the removal of Assad. Moscow, Tehran and Ankara have medicated the talks. Press TV has talked to Richard Becker, with ANSWER Coalition, and Brent Budowsky, a columnist of The Hill, to get their takes on the Astana talks and the possible outcomes. 

Richard Becker maintains that the reluctance on the part of the United States and its allies to play a role in the Astana negotiations is because their plans for regime change in Syria have all been frustrated.

He said the latest developments signify a shift in the stance of the West and its allies which adamantly called for the Assad government to step down. The outcome of the battle in Aleppo city and the victory of the Syrian government forces and their allies have really destroyed the regime change project spearheaded by the former colonizing powers such as France, Britain, the United States and their Middle East allies, he explained.

“The fact that the United States for instance is represented in the talks by a relatively low-level person, that is the US ambassador to Kazakhstan, and that is not really a participant, I would say more of an observer, and Saudi Arabia is not represented at all, Qatar is not represented, Britain and France and NATO countries, aside from Turkey, are not represented and that Turkey has made a shift away from the demand that its government had emphasized for several years that Assad government must go, [proves that] they have shifted away from that [position],” Becker told Press TV's 'The Debate.'

He also reiterated that "resolving a civil war is the most difficult form of resolution that can be seen in the armed conflict because of the intermingling of forces. This is not, of course, just a civil war. It is a civil war and an international war that was launched to bring about regime change."

Meanwhile, Brent Budowsky, the other panelist on the show, asserted that the presence of low-level diplomats at the Astana talks does not necessarily mean that the new US administration is not eager to play a part in Syria or that it is isolated. Rather, he argued, it takes more time for Donald Trump as the new president and his nominee for the secretary of state to reach an integrated and unified foreign policy, especially regarding Syria. 

“I think that it is perfectly fine. This is only his [Trump] third day as president. His secretary of state nominee Rex Tillerson will probably be confirmed tonight at the Senate. So they need to act together... to discuss internally with each other, the president and his cabinet and security advisers, what they are going to do. I don’t blame President Trump for not sending anybody. It is perfectly understandable,” Budowsky said.

“The next step would be very important. We will see what President Trump wants to do. We will see what degree, if any, his relations with Russia and President Putin change the negotiations. Can they work together? That remains to be seen. But hopefully they will find a way to keep the ceasefire going [in Syria],” he concluded.

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