ASTANA, October 31. /TASS/. Moscow hopes that participants in the congress of the Syrian national dialogue in Sochi will discuss issues related to the country’s new constitution and elections, Russian president’s special envoy on Syria and head of Russia’s delegation to the Astana peace talks Alexander Lavrentyev said on Tuesday.
"We hope this forum will make it possible to gather all at a negotiating table to discuss what is to be done in future," he told a news conference. "How to launch a constitutional reform, what is to be done to waste no time and adopt a new constitution and hold UN-monitored parliamentary and presidential elections. It would be very useful."
He noted that the Syrian ceasefire guarantor nations (Russia, Iran and Turkey) had expressed support to this initiative in a joint statement after the Astana meeting. "I would like to call on representatives of various groups of the armed opposition not to miss the chance to come to Russia and speak out their point of view, to take part in the efforts towards a political solution. I would demonstrate that the Syrian armed opposition is set for a constructive dialogue," Lavrentyev stressed.
He also said Moscow spoke in favor of elaborating a mechanism that would bring about stabilization in the area of Idlib in Syria.
"We discussed the problem of the important zone of de-escalation near Idlib," Lavrentyev said. "It's extremely complicated because the Turkish Armed Forces, the Iranian forces and the Russian military police haven't installed all the necessary observation points there."
Complications stem from the presence of many radical groupings including Jabhar al-Nousra in the Idlib area, he said.
"We understand the current degree of heated emotions and tensions between Ankara and Damascus but nonetheless we somehow need to do further work to stabilize the situation in the area where more than 3 million civilians live at present," Lavrentyev said.
There is a need for a mechanism that would lead up to an earliest possible stabilization and would rule out the radicals' sorties from Idlib to other parts of the country where peaceful life has already been re-established.
The setting up of four de-escalation zones began in Syria in early May pending an agreement that Russia, Iran and Turkey reached in Astana.
A total of three zones in the southeast of Syria, in Eastern Guta [a suburb of Damascus] and in the area of Homs City. Zone number four embraces Idlib Governorate and some districts of neighboring Aleppo, Latakiya and Hama Governorates.