Syria April Vote Not to Contradict Peace Process: Putin to West
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Russian President Vladimir Putin told the leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Italy during a conference call Friday that Damascus’s decision to hold legislative polls in April does not contradict the peace process.
"The Russian side noted that a decision by the Syrian authorities to hold parliamentary elections in April, 2016 is being conducted in accordance with the existing Syrian constitution and does not interfere with steps to build the peace process," the Kremlin said following the conference call, AFP reported.
In a Friday phone call with British Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and Putin, the leaders agreed that the cessation of hostilities must hold in the crisis-hit Arab country.
"The main point that the European leaders made on the call to Putin was that we welcome the fact that this fragile truce appears to be holding," a spokeswoman for Cameron said.
Earlier, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad set April 13 as the date for the parliamentary elections in Syria. The last parliamentarian elections were held in 2012, just months after the adoption of a new constitution in the war-torn country.
The presidential decision to hold the vote came just hours after Russia and the US agreed to enforce a cessation of hostilities starting from February 27.
Nearly an hour before the cessation of hostilities went into effect, the United Nations Security Council unanimously demanded that all parties to the war in Syria comply with the terms of the US-Russian deal.
The demand was included in a resolution drafted jointly by Russia and the US that also urged the government and opposition to resume UN-brokered peace talks.
UN Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura said he intends to reconvene peace talks on March 7. The talks had been scheduled to be held on February 25.
Both President Bashar Assad’s government and the main opposition body have agreed to the deal that allows fighting to continue against Daesh and other militant groups like the Nusra Front.