Russian President Vladimir Putin has set the agenda for New York Conference

By Shehab Al Makahleh

At his three hour annual press conference which was attended by more than 1,500 journalists, Russian President Vladimir Putin has set the agenda for New York conference , which will begin its work today (Friday) with attendance of foreign ministers of 17 countries to discuss how to reach a political solution to the Syrian crisis.The most prominent point in this conference is Putin’s reiteration very clearly that the Syrian President is elected by his people and no one else. Putin said: “We will not accept anyone to impose on Russia who will govern Syria or any other country.”

This position is fixed and will not change,” said Putin. These remarks came after a meeting with John Kerry’s, US Secretary of State Secretary in Moscow. The Russian President’s statement was a reflection that US intervention in other’s affairs is now over.  Surely Minister Kerry understands this message and its contents well, and is no longer talking about the departure of the Syrian president as a condition for the start of the transitional phase, and the tone of his ally, Adel Al-Jubeir, Saudi foreign minister, had eased the degree of severity, and probably will not talk about Assad leaving.  The New York conference, which comes as an extension to its Vienna meeting, is held under two major developments at the level of the Syrian crisis portfolio:

• First: the Syrian opposition factions conference in Riyadh which concluded with forming a body to oversee any future negotiations with the government of President Al-Assad and which selected Riad Hijab, head of the delegation to negotiate with the regime.

• Second: Jordanian authorities had handed ove a list of more than 160 terrorist organizations in Syria, led by Daesh,  “Al-Nusra Front”, “Ahrar al-Sham,” and “Al Aqsa Soldiers”, Fajr Al-Islam, and” Al-Tawhid Brigade “, to Moscow.  President Putin has spearheaded war against extremism and terrorism, scoring goals against the Americans and their allies, one after the other, achieving political and military targets.

President Vladimir Putin is a man with pride who impressed his enemies and foes with his surprising moves. Moreover, Russian politics has become an image of this very expressive character of the President. Since the start of the Russian military war against Daesh in Syria, the revenues of terrorist factions from stolen Iraqi and Syrian oil has declined by 40 per cent and this has not be achieved throughout more than 15 months of US-led coalition against Daesh.  History will recall this leader who saved humanity from the cancer of terrorism.