Lebanese Analyst Lauds Russia’s Syria Pullout
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - A senior Lebanese political analyst hailed Moscow for its decision to withdraw from Syria, saying the wise move deprived the opposition of any excuse for bowing out of the peace negotiations in Geneva.
The Kremlin’s decision to pull forces out of Syria encourages the Syria opposition to take part in the peace talks, Amin Hotait, a retired Lebanese army general and an expert in military and strategic affairs told Tasnim on Saturday.
Now the opposition can no more use the Russian aerial military operations in Syria as an excuse for elusive success in the peace talks aimed at ending the civil war in the Arab country, he added.
The former general said Russia’s main mission in Syria was to annihilate the main capabilities of the terrorist groups and strengthen the Syria Army in the battle against armed groups.
Back on March 14, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the withdrawal of the “main part” of Russian forces in Syria, a move that reflected what he called the Kremlin’s achievement of nearly all its goals in the war-torn country.
Russia had deployed about 50 fighter jets and attack helicopters to the Hmeymim air base near Latakia, starting in September 2015.
The pullout from the base coincides with the resumption of UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva between the Syrian government and representatives of the opposition.
Putin has expressed the hope that the pullout would help the Syria peace talks underway in Geneva.
Syria has been gripped by civil war since March 2011 with Takfiri terrorists, including the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group, currently controlling parts of it, mostly in the east.
The Syrian conflict has killed at least 260,000 people, according to the UN, and more than half of Syria’s pre-war population of 22.4 million has been internally displaced or fled abroad.
