PRESSER: #Russia's FM #Lavrov & #Jordan/ian FM Safadi: 1. Say they're satisfiedd w/ "close & useful interaction" over #Syria both in trilateral format (w/ #US in Amman) & via Astana where Jordan is observer.
Lavrov says #Rus appreciates JRD mediation b/n #SAA&opposition militants
2. #Lavrov, #Safadi discussed "some concrete measures of how to address issue of #Syria/n refugees in #Jordan."
Both reinforced need to comply w/ trilateral agreements over SW de-escalation zone,including,Lavrov stressed,"part on fight w/ #ISIS, #HTS that control 40% of the area"
3.#Lavrov said the SW zone "remains a priority" since as terrorists get driven out,conditions will be created for return of refugees,incl those based now in #Jordan. #Moscow insists broad international coop needed to restore #Syria's infrastructure,create jobs...
4. #Russia's message virtually is those w/ money shouldn't politicize either politically condition their investments into #Syria's restoration.#Moscow calls for repeal of sanctions (over #Damascus) for they "hamper return of refugees"
5.Another issue on agenda-#Israel/i-#Palestine.#Lavrov says #Rus worried over "unilateral approaches" to the issue(alluson to #Trump "peace plan"?)#Russia calls for "direct dialogue" b/n conflicting parties, ),#Moscow ready to foster such dialogue itself or within ME quartet
6.Asked abt situation in Deraa #Lavrov says de-escalation agreement implies offensive on #ISIS.#HTS & that #US assumed responsibility to separate "opposition groups it controls" from terrorists,adds"it doesn't always happen...many of those who used to work w/ US now joined Nusra"
7. #Lavrov says this led to regular offences on #SAA & thus had to be countered "which is what #Syria/n army now doing w/ support from #RuAF",adds #Rus "simulateously helps #SAA strike agrments w/ opposition,have them lay down arms",prasies #Jordan's contribution in the process
8. #Lavrov asked if he worried that Deraa may be new E.#Aleppo or E.#Ghouta (De Mistura's analogy),says he'd be more worried "over repetition of situation in #Raqqa where refugees still can't return",says #US never "positively addressed" #Rus offers for joint demining of the area
9.IMPORTANT:#Lavrov:"In SYR there're forces that are there upon gov invitation& those that stay illegally.#US#Rus agreements over SW SYR imply that gradually there will be no non-Syria forces #SAA will control border w/ #Israel.No mercy for #ISIS,#HTS.#Russia mostly did its part
10. #Lavrov continues "#Rus focus is now to ensure our partners (cough, #US) carry out what they promised within those [SW SYR] agreements.They should first stop seeking pretexts to not fight terrorists in the area,to not drive them out from the area..."
11. #Lavrov on #Iran in #Syria: We see ths issue being circulated in Western media in simplified way:"IRN should leave&then everything will be just fine"¬ just in SYR but the rest of ME. It's absolutely unrealistic. No way to solve region's problems w/ot IRN.KSA,JRD,EGY,others
12.#Lavrov: All states in ME have their own duties,many have claims vis-a-vis one another.But every problem around the globe shld be approached by first sittign down& negotiating this claims,then looking how to address them.Same in #Syria.
13. #lavrov: "#US proposed to have a meeting b/n myself & @SecPompeo.We agreed but yesterday over phone #Pompeo said his schedule very busy & there's no way for us to see each other before the summit in #Helsinki. We agreed to meet after the summit preparation for which underway"
Short THREAD on #Russia - #Turkey divergences over #Idlib as seen from #Moscow: 1. In early August I described rationale behind RU positon & that "certain level of understanding reached w/ TUR that there should be no [large-scale] offensive on Idlib [then]"almon.co/338t
2.I recently reached out to the same senior RUS diplomat who reiterated #Moscow's bottom-line desire to settle the issue peacefully except for terrorists organization who he argued #Turkey too agreed to fight as part of AStana agreements.Yesterday,RU #Syria envoy Lavrentyev..
3. .alluded to #Russia's growing displease w/ #Ankara's inability to deliver upon its committments in the area that, as Lavrentyev said"is kind of their zone of responsibility."Instead,#Erdogan writing op-eds,trying to enlist support from #West/ern partners over #Idlib which is..
..the idea for the summit was to get a deal where all the 3 can secure their bottom-line interests.They didn't fully achieve it since there will be another round of trilateral talks (some time in the future in #Russia) and the parties hope to settle #Idlib issue in #Tehran but..
..(a) #Turkey maintained credibility of the oppoaition (by that good cop-bad cop thing #Erdogan & #Putun played), (b) #Russia got his promise to deal w/ those attacking #Hmeymim (c) #Ankara received time to settle the major task of assorting militants (d)..
#Lavrov now: De-confliction b/n #Russia & #US in #Syria wotking wrll, when there's a need Americans turn to us for explanations of certain things and we do the same
#Lavrov now: When we intervened in #Syria in Sep'15 #ISIS wad at the gates of #Damascus. Not a single power that are today raising voices about humanity, rights, etc moved their finger to prevent #Daesh from almost capturing the city & making it the capital of their caliphate
#Lavrov on @realDonaldTrump tweet on #Idlib: #Trump's right-we need to avoid a humanitarian crisis there. That's what we always try to do w/ humanitarian corridors & other coverups for civilians unlike Americans,say,in #Raqqa who just ironed the city. Now they want to cover Nusra
This mistake (or, again, was it intentional #fakenews frill?) set a line of reports that "#Russia reveals..." which is not the case. The info was allegedly LEAKED by two Rus diplomats to @business bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
The proposal on #Donbass appears to have indeed been made by #Putin,the info was not supposed to be disclosed until #Trump discussed it with his team. One may not like the proposal itself, but that it's now disclosed is bad for solution of the issue,courtesy of presidential talks
Antonov adds,another group of #US lawmakers are planning to visit #Russia following a rare trip to #Moscow by Republican members of #Congress this month.The Ambassador noted, however,there was little chance of a trip by Russian lawmakers to #America before congressional elections
Antonov: Politicians in #Washington are very far from the people. What they are doing doesn't meet interests of American people.
3. #Putin & #Trump will be meet face-to-face around noon (1pm #Moscow time). The leaders have at least 3 hours scheduled for themselves after which they will proceed to another room for working lunch in a broader format with ministers and advisers.