Crisis diplomacy 101: the Kerry-Lavrov Syria meeting [View all]

[ProSense]

By Pamela Falk

Crisis diplomacy 101: the Kerry-Lavrov Syria meeting

Intense negotiations are under way at the United Nations about the content of an agreement on Syria, and when the five permanent members of the Security Council (the U.S., U.K, France, China, Russia) sat down Wednesday, they were "walking on eggshells,"...After the idea of securing Syria's chemical weapons was agreed to, most recently by President Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G-20 summit in St. Petersburg, Russia, the idea was suggested in passing by Secretary of State John Kerry, endorsed by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and later, the Syrian regime.

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The French took the lead in putting together what would constitute U.N. action...It would be detailed in a U.N. Security Council Resolution, under Chapter VII of the world body's charter, which authorizes the use of force. The accord would include Syria disclosing the specifics of its chemical-weapons stockpiles, allowing those weapons to be placed under international supervision and control and their ultimate dismantling, Syria becoming a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which monitors compliance, a condemnation of the August 21 chemical weapons attack allegedly committed by the Assad government, a referral to the International Criminal Court of those responsible for the attack, and a warning to Syria of serious consequences if it were to breach the terms...After seeing the French draft, Russia called emergency consultations, then abruptly cancelled them, and Kerry was dispatched to meet with Lavrov in Geneva on Thursday and Friday in the hopes of returning with agreement next week -- in time to also be able to consider the U.N. weapons inspectors' report on what they found in their recent trip to Syria.

The micro-summit of Kerry and Lavrov gives diplomacy a shot at working. Mr. Obama is holding out the threat of a strike, unpopular as it is at home, and Putin is in a position to negotiate -- rather than just veto -- U.N. action.

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ELEMENTS OF PROPOSED AGREEMENT

Chemical weapons stockpiles

Syria has agreed to place its chemical weapons stockpiles under international control and ultimately dismantle them. As far as the U.S., U.K., France and the U.N. Secretary General are concerned, that means the U.N. and the OPCW (their relationship was consummated by a General Assembly Resolution in 2001) supervise and control the weapons. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon's spokesman, Martin Nesirky, asked if the U.N. would handle the international supervision envisioned by the agreement, said his boss has "consistently called for Syria to accede to the Chemical Weapons Convention and to fully abide by its responsibility to maintain the physical security of any chemical weapon stockpiles in its possession."

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http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57602551/crisis-diplomacy-101-the-kerry-lavrov-syria-pow-wow/

Securing the chemical weapons have been part of the ongoing diplomatic discussion about the overall situation in Syria. This is from May, Kerry:

Remarks With Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

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We’ve also affirmed our commitment to a negotiated settlement as the essential means of ending the bloodshed, addressing humanitarian disaster in Syria, and addressing the problem of the security of chemical weapons and forestalling further regional instability. We believe that full implementation of the Geneva communique calls for a transition governing body as specifically set forth in the language of the communique, which is formed by mutual consent with the support of the international community and enjoying full executive authority – that means the full authority to run and manage the government, including the military and security services, and then doing so as soon as we can possibly implement it is the best way to resolve the crisis in Syria.

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Now I believe another thing is happening. I think a lot of people in the region and in the world are seeing this violence and frankly are really deeply concerned for the people of Syria and for the possibilities of peace, and that there will be a growing crescendo of nations who will want to push for a peaceful resolution rather than the chaos that comes with the breakup of the country and the continued battle, which can and will take place. Now it’s obviously up to the regime to undertake a set of behavior – to undertake steps here to guarantee that they’re not using chemical weapons, they’re not inviting greater reactions than exist today. And we’ll have to see how that plays out.

But I think that Sergey and I are both convinced that since Geneva is there and agreed on – the opposition went to Istanbul a week ago, two weeks ago, and in Istanbul they issued a set of declarations in which they signed on to, number one, support for the Geneva communique, support for a transitional government. They signed on to a set of standards which would prohibit any use of chemical weapons. They agreed to be inclusive and democratic and protect all minorities inside Syria. And so I think there’s the basis here for the people of Syria to have confidence that if we can achieve a transitional government and ultimately end the violence, the people of Syria will decide the future of Syria. And I think that’s what Sergey wants, that’s what I want, and it’s what President Putin and President Obama want, and that’s what we’re trying to implement.

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http://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2013/05/209117.htm