U.S., Russia Said to Near Compromise to Unlock Syria Peace Talks

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Russia and the U.S. are close to reaching a compromise to unlock the start of Syrian peace talks next week, three Western and United Nations diplomats said, averting the threat of a collapse of efforts to end the five-year civil war.

The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, is expected to invite two separate opposition delegations to the negotiations in Geneva, said the diplomats, who asked not to be identified because the matter is still confidential. De Mistura is scheduled to provide details of the peace process at a briefing Monday in the Swiss city.

The UN-sponsored talks between the Syrian government and opposition, previously set to begin Monday, have been delayed by disagreement between the U.S. and Russia over which parties to allow to participate.

More than three months of Russian airstrikes in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad have turned the tide of the conflict, which has killed 250,000 people and led to Europe’s worst refugee crisis since World War II. Assad’s forces seized a strategic town on the Turkish border last week and are closing in on an Islamic State stronghold near Turkey.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-01-23/u-s-russia-said-to-near-compromise-to-unlock-syria-peace-talks

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1. Dozens reported killed in Russian strikes in Deir Ezzor and Raqqa

At least 29 civilians were killed in air strikes suspected to have been carried by Russian warplanes on a village in eastern Syria on Saturday, a monitoring group said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said seven children and one woman were among the dead in the village of Khasham in Syria's oil-rich Deir Ezzor province.

Controlled by the Islamic State (IS) militant group, Khasham lies just 20 kilometres southeast of the provincial capital, also called Deir Ezzor, most of which is now held by IS.

The Observatory said the death toll was likely to rise as "dozens" more people were wounded.

http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/dozens-civilians-killed-air-strikes-over-deir-ezzor-and-raqqa-monitor-1724990279

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2. Humans of Syria: Inspiring tales of ordinary lives

On 12 January, Dr Refaai Hamo, a 55-year-old refugee also affectionately known on social media as “The Scientist,” was invited to attend Barack Obama’s final State of The Union before a joint session of Congress.

It was a dramatic change of fortune for Hamo. Just a month before sitting with the First Lady, the doctor was part of the unnamed mass, those millions of anonymous Syrians whose lives collapsed as the fate of their country was sealed in blood and dust.

It all began when Brandon Stanton, the photographer behind the world-famous “Humans of New York” website and Facebook page, shared Hamo’s story with his 16 million online fans.

Dr Hamo fled Syria after a bomb tore through his home, killing seven family members, including his wife and one daughter. “My son had to carry the pieces of his mother and sister out of the house. He was 14 at the time. He was so smart. He was the top of his class. He's not the same,” the doctor told Stanton.

http://www.middleeasteye.net/in-depth/features/putting-human-face-war-syria-one-picture-time-683088158

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3. Biden suggests ‘military solution’ to Syrian conflict

Joe Biden signaled a possible new direction for U.S. policy toward Syria in remarks in Turkey on Saturday, where the vice president was meeting with Turkish leaders to discuss the bloody civil war next door.

Biden was speaking at Istanbul’s Dolmabahçe Palace, where he held meetings with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The U.S. is “neither optimistic nor pessimistic,” but “determined” to reach a political solution to the Syrian conflict, he said according to a pool report of his comments.

But Biden also went beyond past Obama administration statements and suggested the U.S. would be willing to use military means if necessary.

http://www.politico.eu/article/biden-suggests-military-solution-to-syrian-conflict/

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5. Biden says Kurdish PKK is a 'terror group plain and simple'

US Vice President Joe Biden has described the actions of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) as 'absolutely outrageous,' during his visit to Istanbul. The US official also hinted at a military solution for Syria.

During his meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu on Saturday, Biden praised Turkey for taking "very important steps to improve the security of its border" from "Islamic State" (IS) militants.

The top US official also said that Washington and its NATO ally Turkey were working closely together on crippling 'IS.'

Turkey is currently engaged in an aerial campaign against 'IS' in Turkey. At the same time, its security forces are fighting Kurdish PKK members on the home front.

http://www.dw.com/en/biden-says-kurdish-pkk-is-a-terror-group-plain-and-simple/a-19000607

[Cayenne]

10. He means "regime change or else"

ISIS has nothing to do with it; this is about Assad holding up a pipeline.

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11. Yah, they don't want to give up on it.

But strictly I would say it is about who is the boss, so to speak. Lots of wannabe bosses running around in the Middle East.

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4. Kerry reassures Gulf allies in talks on Iran, Syria

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (CNN)Secretary of State John Kerry reassured U.S. Gulf allies that the U.S. was not seeking a new alliance with Iran, despite warming ties between Washington and Tehran.

In talks with the six nations of the Gulf Cooperation Council -- Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates -- Kerry said agreement was reached on how to begin peace talks aimed at ending Syria's bloody civil war.

"The relationship between the United States and the GCC nations is one that is built on mutual interest, on mutual defense, and I think there is no doubt whatsoever in the minds of the countries that make up the GCC that the United States will stand with them against any external threat," Kerry said after the meeting.

He then met with Saudi King Salman and Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

http://us.cnn.com/2016/01/23/politics/john-kerry-gulf-allies-iran-saudi-arabia/index.html

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8. Kerry in Saudi Arabia: delayed Syria peace talks to resume

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Jan. 23 (UPI) -- Syrian peace talks are expected to resume next week, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said while visiting Saudi Arabia Saturday.

Speaking to the press, Kerry said, "We are confident that with good initiative in the next day or so those talks can get going and that the U.N. representative special envoy Staffan De Mistura will be convening people in an appropriate manner for the proximity talks that will be the first meeting in Geneva."

The talks, initially scheduled for Monday, were delayed due to disagreements within the United Nations regarding which opposition groups would be permitted to attend.

Washington Post reports Kerry and Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir have come to an agreement regarding a "proximity meeting" taking place in Geneva, where opposition groups will consult indirectly with the regime.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2016/01/23/Kerry-in-Saudi-Arabia-delayed-Syria-peace-talks-to-resume/8391453555542/?spt=sec&or=tn

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6. Jeb Bush Calls for Regime Change in Syria, Because Why Not

In his latest act of hapless desperation, Jeb Bush called for more “regime change” in the Middle East—specifically Syria—during a speech at a country club in Keene, New Hampshire, on Wednesday night.

Bush’s position, which appears to represent a hawkish shift on his part, doesn’t make him an extreme outlier in the presidential race. Hillary Clinton, Chris Christie, Marco Rubio, and John Kasich have all called for a “no-fly zone” to counteract President Bashar al-Assad—a precursor to “regime change,” without the years-long commitment the latter term implies. But Bush has apparently calculated that a full-throated conceptual defense of “regime change” is what the Republican electorate hungers for at this juncture.

https://newrepublic.com/article/128261/jeb-bush-calls-regime-change-syria-not

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7. Syrians are no longer ‘guests’; it is time for integration

The world is in a new, tough and dangerous era in terms of displacements and migrations due to wars, conflicts, atrocities and climate change.

According to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), one in every 122 people in the world is currently a refugee, is displaced in their home country or has emigrated.

The displacements in various areas around the world are mainly caused by wars. As a tragic and grave result of the war in Syria, nearly 8 million people have been forced out of their own country, with half of them having to take refuge in neighboring countries. Interestingly, this has made the Middle East, especially Turkey, the region hosting the highest number of displaced individuals.

In this regard, Turkey has become a safe haven. Currently, there are 19.5 million refugees in the world and 2.5 million of this population have been documented as living in Turkey. The real number is estimated to be 3 million, including undocumented refugees. Hence, the burden and struggle caused by the new, tough and dangerous era, which I mentioned at the beginning, unfortunately is not being distributed justly around the world. However, this shouldn't leave us indifferent to the situation.

http://www.todayszaman.com/columnist/peli-n-cengi-z/syrians-are-no-longer-guests-it-is-time-for-integration_410274.html

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9. . nt