DA NANG- US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have agreed on a non military solution to the long-standing conflict in Syria.
According to a joint statement released on Saturday after a meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, a final political settlement for the strife in Syria should be worked out during upcoming talks in Geneva and according to Security Council
Resolution .
The two sides noted that the Syrian President Bashar AlAssad has declared abidance by the political process in Geneva, constitutional reforms and holding elections according to the UN resolution, said a Russia related statement.
On the other hand, the Russian-American statement noted that Washington and Moscow advocate full implementation of the UN
resolution thus conducting constitutional reforms and holding free and just elections, under the UN aegis.
It called upon respecting Syria’s sovereignty, independence, territorial unity and “secular identity” stressing all
Syrian parties to be engaged in the political process in Geneva.
Presidents Putin and Trump highlighted necessity of establishing the de-escalation zones as a temporary measure to downgrade violence in Syria, implementing accords on ceasing military action, improving
humanitarian conditions and creating an adequate environment for a political settlement to civil-war raging from over six years.
The statement affirmed that a monitoring center that had been established in Amman, Jordan, to oversee a truce in southwestern Syria, will pursue its mission, alluding to the team of monitors from Russia, Jordan and the US.
The two presidents jointly noted necessity of alleviating suffering of the Syrian people and urged UN member states to help secure basic supplies for the Syrian people for the coming months.
The statement continued that Putin and Trump agreed on maintaining connections to ensure security of the Russian and American forces fighting the so-called Islamic State.
Though US and Russia are uneasy global powers and are at daggers drawn, even then Trump and Putin had three encounters within 24 hours at the summit.
A formal bilateral meeting between the two presidents had been expected at the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (Apec) summit but Mr Putin later said scheduling issues had got in the way.
