Russia must nudge Syria into peace deal: De Mistura

The international mediator in the Syrian peace process has called on Russia to convince its ally the Syrian regime to conclude a deal with the opposition to end the war in Syria.

Staffan de Mistura, speaking on Swiss television station RTS, said on Wednesday that failure to make peace quickly through United Nations mediation could lead to “a fragmentation of Syria”.

De Mistura, asked what signal Putin could give from his position of force, said: ”Convince the (Syrian) government that there is no time to lose.... You can think you win territory militarily but you have to win the peace.

“And to win the peace, you have to have the courage to push the government to accept that there has to be a new constitution and new elections, through the United Nations,” he said.

Previous diplomatic efforts to resolve the nearly 7-year-conflict have ended in failure over the opposition’s demand that President Bashar al-Assad leave power and his refusal to go. On Monday, The Syrian opposition claimed the government delegation to the Geneva peace talks is coming up with new conditions, making it difficult to move forward.

The Kremlin first launched airstrikes in Syria in September 2015, turning the tide of the conflict in Assad’s favor.

But Russian President Vladimir Putin during a surprise visit on Monday to Syria declared that the work of Russian forces was largely done in backing the Assad government against militants.

But De Mistura made clear that peace negotiations must be through the United Nations in Geneva, as mandated by the UN Security Council, adding: “Otherwise it is not worth it.... This is a complicated war, it is only in Geneva through the UN.”

The UN envoy has conducted shuttle diplomacy between the Syrian government delegation led by chief negotiator Bashar al-Ja‘afari and a unified opposition delegation.

”The opposition told me clearly when they arrived here, and again yesterday and this morning too, that they are ready to meet the government right away to have a hard, difficult discussion.

“The government is not ready, it has said it is not ready to meet the opposition. That is regrettable but diplomacy has many means,” de Mistura said.

The Syrian conflict began when the Baath regime, in power since 1963 and led by President Bashar al-Assad, responded with military force to peaceful protests demanding democratic reforms during the Arab Spring wave of uprisings, triggering an armed rebellion fueled by mass defections from the Syrian army.

According to independent monitors, hundreds of thousands of civilians have been killed in the war, mostly by the regime and its powerful allies, and millions have been displaced both inside and outside of Syria.

The brutal tactics pursued mainly by the regime, which have included the use of chemical weapons, sieges, mass executions and torture against civilians have led to war crimes investigations