Rouhani Heads to New York, Offers Help On Syria Talks
Al-Monitor’s analysis and coverage of what to expect at the UN General Assembly this week.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani arrives at the UN General Assembly this week in the context of a new convergence in Russia-Iran ties on Syria and the prospect of a new chapter in US-Iran relations.
There are good reasons for the United States to be skeptical and vigilant in dealing with Russia and Iran on Syria or anything else. There are also good reasons to seize a potentially historic opportunity. The successful implementation of the US-Russia chemical weapons framework, the convening of the Geneva II conference on Syria and progress in talks over Iran’s nuclear programs, which are all in play, would be among the most significant foreign policy achievements of the Obama administration, with implications well beyond Syria.
The Russian-Iranian trend has so far been a constructive one for the United States on Syria. On Friday, Sept. 13, Rouhani and Russian President Vladimir Putin met at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Summit in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, and had a long and “detailed” talk on Syria. Rouhani welcomed Russian support in addressing Iran’s nuclear file and invited Putin to visit Iran. The next day, US and Russian negotiators in Geneva agreed on a framework to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons. A UN Security Council resolution is being drafted to implement and enforce this agreement. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif endorsed the US-Russia framework on Sept. 15, adding that Iran was willing to engage the United States to build confidence, as Ali Hashem reported from Tehran for Al-Monitor.
Rouhani wrote in a Washington Post op-ed on Sept. 20 that Iran is ready “to help facilitate dialogue between the Syrian government and the opposition” while “strongly” condemning chemical weapons use. On Sept. 21, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons reported that it had received the “expected disclosure” from the Syrian government, which is the first step required to implement the agreement. US Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, and UN Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi will meet in New York this week to discuss the Geneva II conference. .
