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U.N. war crimes investigators called on Syria on Wednesday to tell families what happened to their relatives who disappeared and provide the medical records and remains of those who died or were executed in custody.
No progress can be made towards a lasting peace to end the nearly eight-year-old war without justice, the International Commission of Inquiry on Syria said.
After years of government silence, Syrian authorities this year released "thousands or tens of thousands" of names of detainees alleged to have died, mostly between 2011 and 2014, it said in a report released before delivery to the U.N. Security Council.
"Most custodial deaths are thought to have occurred in places of detention run by Syrian intelligence or military agencies. The Commission has not documented any instance, however, where bodies or personal belongings of the deceased were returned," it said.
The 11th round of Syria peace talks in the Astana format started on Wednesday with a meeting between the representatives of Russia and Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime in the Kazakh capital.Ahead of the meeting, Alexander Lavrentiev, the Russian president's special envoy for Syria, told reporters that the establishment of a constitutional committee for a new constitution, the ceasefire in Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib, the problems of refugees and the fight against terrorism will be discussed in the meeting.A meeting of the Astana Working Group established for the release of prisoners is also expected to be held.The meeting will evaluate a pilot project that saw the mutual and simultaneous release of Syrian detainees both from the Assad regime and opposition sides on Saturday.The project of the Release of Detainees/Abductees, Handover of Bodies and Identification of Missing Persons was established as part of the Astana process with the participation of Turkey, Russia and Iran -- three guarantor countries of the Astana process -- as well as the UN, according to Turkish Foreign Ministry.On Tuesday, the UN said its outgoing Syria envoy Staffan De Mistura will meet with top officials from the guarantor countries in Astana to work on establishing a committee to write a new constitution for the war-torn country.Earlier on Wednesday, Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry announced the arrival of all parties in Astana.Heading the group on behalf of the main Syrian opposition Ahmed Tuma, the former premier of the Syrian interim government, will stress the lack of sustainable environment for the repatriation of Syrian refugees and the reconstruction of the country, as well as the ongoing regime's detentions in talks with the UN and Russia, according to opposition sources.The Turkish delegation -- represented by Deputy Foreign Minister Sedal Onal -- is expected to hold meetings with the opposition group, Russian and Iranian representatives.The guarantor countries are expected to hold a meeting on Wednesday ahead of Thursday’s main session -- where all the sides will meet and a final declaration will be read out.Iran is represented by Hussein Gabri Ansari, assistant foreign minister for Arab and African affairs, while Alexander Lavrentiev, the Russian president's special envoy for Syria represent Russia.The Syrian regime will be represented by Bashar Jaafari, the regime's permanent representative to the UN.The conflict in Syria began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.
11th round of Syria peace talks starts in Astana
In nearly every case, death certificates for prisoners that were provided to families recorded the cause of death as a "heart attack" or "stroke", the independent panel led by Paulo Pinheiro said.
"Some individuals from the same geographic area share common death dates, possibly indicating group executions," it said.
In most cases, the place of death was stated as Tishreen military hospital or Mujtahid hospital, both near Damascus, but the place of detention was not named, it said.
"Pro-government forces and primarily the Syrian state should reveal publicly the fates of those detained, disappeared and/or missing without delay," the report said, noting this meant Syrian government forces, Russian forces and affiliated militia.
An agreement reached last month in Istanbul on the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib prevented a worse outcome there, France’s foreign minister said on Tuesday.In a press conference in Paris with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, Jean-Yves Le Drian said: "Now we want to strengthen the cease-fire agreement and move to a political process in Syria."Le Drian said there is close cooperation between Russia and France and called for the continuation of dialogue even though they have different views on some issues.After agreeing to set up a demilitarized zone in Idlib at a Sept. 17 meeting in Sochi between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, on Oct. 27 Turkey hosted a four-nation summit on Syria between Turkey, Russia, Germany, and France.In a joint statement, the leaders stressed the importance of maintaining the fight against terrorism, fully implementing effective measures, and a permanent cease-fire that each party would comply with.'Turkey will not allow fait accompli in Syria'Ukraine and RussiaAbout Sunday’s confrontation between Russia and Ukraine at the entrance to the Sea of Azov, Le Drian said an arms buildup in the region would “increase tension and lead to new problems like the one on Sunday."Calling for restraint, Le Drian voiced hope for more Russian efforts on the issue.Lavrov, for his part, said the tension was intentionally fueled and that no mediation between Russia and Ukraine is needed.On Sunday, three Ukrainian naval vessels in the Black Sea moved to enter the Kerch Strait to reach the Sea of Azov.Erdoğan urges Russia, Ukraine to resolve dispute through dialogueThe incident ended up with several Ukrainian servicemen killed or injured -- the Ukrainians say the former and the Russians, the latter -- and the vessels seized by the Russian military.Russia and Ukraine have been at loggerheads since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea after a controversial referendum.Turkey, as well as the UN General Assembly, view the annexation as illegal.Ukraine has also blamed Russia for separatist violence in eastern Ukraine, near the border with Russia.
Istanbul deal on Idlib, Syria prevented worse: France
Families had the right to know the truth about their loved one's deaths and be able to retrieve their remains, it said.
In a 2016 report, the panel found that the scale of deaths in prisons indicated that the government of President Bashar al-Assad was responsible for "extermination as a crime against humanity".
In Syria, a family member must register a death within a month after receiving a death notification, the report said. Failure to do so results in a fine which grows after a year.
But given that there are millions of Syrian refugees abroad and internally displaced, many are not in a position to meet deadlines, it said.
The lack of an official death certificate may affect the housing, land and property rights of relatives, it said, noting that female-headed households may face further challenges to secure inheritance rights.
Turkey will not allow a fait accompli in Syria but will use its right to self-defense, Turkey’s national security establishment warned on Tuesday.In a statement after meeting in the capital Ankara, the National Security Council said that Turkey has always supported Syria's territorial integrity and political unity and stressed that the biggest threat to a political solution in Syria is the terrorist presence east of the Euphrates River.The statement also "strongly emphasized" that Turkey would not be indifferent to the terrorist PKK/PYD-YPG changing the demographic makeup in areas bordering Turkey through persecution and forced migration.4,000 Syrians return terror-free hometown in two weeksIt also stressed that Turkey will continue its determined fight against terrorism to protect its people from threats arising from terror groups along its borders with Syria and Iraq.The statement said that "some countries” failing to list terrorist groups such as the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FEÖO) and the PKK/KCK's Syrian branch the PYD/YPG as terror groups hurts counter-terrorism efforts.Turkey has long objected to U.S. support for the terrorist PYD/PYG, and has faulted both the U.S. and Europe for failing to do enough to fight FETÖ, the group behind a 2016 defeated coup in Turkey.Erdoğan urges Russia, Ukraine to resolve dispute through dialogueOn last month’s quadrilateral summit in Istanbul, the council stressed that the issues agreed on at the summit would contribute to peace in Syria and the region, as well as provide a permanent cease-fire by demilitarization in the northwestern province of Idlib.The summit held in late October was attended by the leaders of Turkey, Russia, France and Germany, who expressed their determination to end the bloodshed in war-torn Syria.“To find a lasting solution in Syria, a constitutional committee, working under United Nations observation, should be established as soon as possible,” the declaration stressed.Iraq's Sadr calls on prime minister to finalize cabinetIraq and CyprusThe National Security Council affirmed that Turkey would continue cooperation with the new Iraqi government in all areas, particularly security issues.The council also underlined that the Turkish Armed Forces would continue counter-terrorism operations against the terrorist PKK/KCK in Iraq.The council “reaffirmed that no development contrary to the rights and interests of Turkey or the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus would be allowed.”It also warned that unilateral moves in the region would not contribute to world peace, and urged consideration of Turkey’s determination based on international law.Turkish jets 'neutralize' 6 PKK terrorists in N. IraqIn early 2018, the Greek Cypriot administration unilaterally launched exploratory drilling activities for gas in the Eastern Mediterranean despite strong opposition from Turkish Cypriots, who argue that the island's natural resources should be exploited jointly to ensure equal rights for both parties.Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when a Greek Cypriot coup was followed by violence against the island's Turks and Ankara's intervention as a guarantor power.
'Turkey will not allow fait accompli in Syria'
The Saudi Embassy in Ankara has denied media reports about the deployment of Saudi military forces in war-torn Syria.In a statement on Tuesday, the embassy described reports of military deployments in Syria as totally untrue.“There are no Saudi military forces in Syria,” the statement said, going on to call on media outlets “to seek accuracy” and take news from “reliable sources”.Last week, some media outlets reported that Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have military forces in Syria.Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.
Saudi Arabia denies military deployments in Syria