[ad_1]
Ahmed Haj Ali wrote in Al-Akhbar: Moscow made efforts to urge the success of its initiative to convene an international conference in Damascus on November 11 and 12, dedicated to addressing the issue of the return of displaced Syrians. Circles familiar with the details of the visit of the UN envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, indicated yesterday that the conference file was at the top of the priorities of their discussions with the Syrian side, especially with the Syrian Foreign Minister, Walid. al-Muallem, who met him..
Among the signs of ongoing Russian efforts, a high-level Russian delegation will head to Lebanon next Wednesday, coinciding with Pedersen’s presence in Beirut. The delegation includes the Russian President’s special envoy to Syria, Alexander Lavrentiev, the head of the Middle East Department in the Russian Foreign Ministry and Minister Lavrov’s envoy for the Syrian settlement, Alexander Kinshak, as well as a senior official from the Russian Defense Ministry, to discuss the topic of the conference. The Russian delegation plans to meet with the three heads of state, the Commander of the Armed Forces, General Joseph Aoun, and the Director General of Public Security, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, in case their health conditions allow it. The meeting can also take place with Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri, not excluding other meetings on the agenda, according to follow-up media..
It was agreed that Lebanon would participate in the conference, represented by its embassy in Damascus. However, according to sources familiar with the details of diplomatic contacts, the possibility of postponing the conference and moving its headquarters to another capital that could be the capital of Kazakhstan, Nur-Sultan (Astana) or Moscow, is now being discussed to provide the widest possible participation and avoid boycotting many reserved or restrained countries. On the visit to Damascus to date, despite the recent confirmation of a senior US security official’s visit to the Syrian capital, Damascus..
Source: News
