Sleep-starved diplomats craft Syrian deal from near scratch; a policy change, a surprise plan

[Recursion]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/sleep-starved-diplomats-craft-syrian-deal-from-near-scratch-a-policy-change-a-surprise-plan/2013/09/14/6b2370ce-1d5d-11e3-80ac-96205cacb45a_story.html

An interesting look into what a multilat session is like

The 29-member American delegation, led by Secretary of State John Kerry, arrived at the Intercontinental Hotel Geneve at midday Thursday after a turbulent, eight-hour overnight flight from Washington.

The U.S. side had no guarantee that the Russians were interested in an enforceable deal or willing to conclude one quickly, the American officials told reporters. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the negotiations.

...

U.S. and Russian teams had met for a year to discuss the eventual disposition of Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal. But those talks had focused on how to deal with the weapons only after Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government had been replaced by a transitional government in a political process, the officials said.

...

“They were useful ideas and we had useful ideas, but no one had a full-blown plan, no one,” one official said. “We had already had some experience working together and sharing expert information, but we did not come to this meeting with a full-fledged plan. The meeting was put together logistically in 24 hours, so people had to create all of this here.”

[hobbit709]

1. This could be a new way to diplomacy.

chain all parties to their chairs at the table without food and water until they reach an agreement.

[CTyankee]

2. back in the anti-vietnam war days, the Quakers had a saying:

"There is no way to peace. Peace is the way."

And of course , the great line from Churchill: "Better jaw-jaw than war-war."

[MADem]

3. Even the Russians have been involved in some "Yemen Scenario" discussions, it would seem.

If only in an oblique, after-the-fact fashion.

More evidence that the Obama administration has been pushing for a DIPLOMATIC solution well before this matter hit the headlines.

Gauging the Russian’ seriousness was a major part of the mission that Obama sent Kerry on. It came only two days after Kerry had opened the door to a potential agreement with an apparently off-the-cuff remark in London that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov seized on.

U.S. and Russian teams had met for a year to discuss the eventual disposition of Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal. But those talks had focused on how to deal with the weapons only after Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government had been replaced by a transitional government in a political process, the officials said.

But the last bit gives me hope:

U.S. officials described the negotiations with the Russians as hard-fought, serious and professional. But, they said, they were not convinced that the Russians were truly serious until they got further into their talks.

“It took a while to make sure we were going to get to something that would be meaningful, verifiable (and) enforceable,” one official said.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/sleep-starved-diplomats-craft-syrian-deal-from-near-scratch-a-policy-change-a-surprise-plan/2013/09/14/6b2370ce-1d5d-11e3-80ac-96205cacb45a_story.html