ASTANA, May 5. /TASS/. Jordan could participate in monitoring the ceasefire on the border of the de-escalation zone in southern Syria, said Alexander Lavrentyev, Russian Special Presidential Representative for settling the Syrian crisis and head of the Russian delegation to the Astana talks.
According to the Russian diplomat, possible monitors of the ceasefire on the borders of the de-escalation zones have not been established yet. "Of course, Jordan’s representatives could participate, taking into consideration the fact that one of the de-escalation zones is located in southern Syria. They could be helpful there…"
The Russian diplomat pointed out that other countries could only take part in the observer mission along the de-escalation lines only if all the three guarantor countries agreed to that.
When asked if the Syrian opposition would comply with the memorandum on the de-escalation zones, Lavrentyev said that the opposition comprised different groups. "There are forces that could be called moderate, they understand, or are beginning to understand, the need to stop the armed conflict (with the government) and start fighting against Jabhat al-Nusra (a terror group outlawed in Russia)," the diplomat noted.
"The fight against radical Islamists is the main goal, they are a major headache as far as settling the Syrian conflict is concerned," Lavrentyev added.
He also said that there were some forces that were creating obstacles in both the Astana and Geneva talks. The Russian diplomat said that these forces did not support the process of resolving the conflict as they wished that the state of lawlessness would remain and the Syrian people would continue to suffer.
"Something should be done about that, but it depends not only on Russia but also on the regional powers," Lavrentyev pointed out. "Some of them just aren’t interested in ensuring peace while they pursue their own goals," he added.