Moscow and Tehran have an advantage over the West in the Syrian negotiation process, John Sawers, former chief of MI6, said.




"In any political process the facts on�the ground dictate who has the leverage of�the negotiation table. And the fact that the Russians have intervened and the Iranians have intervened and the West has not done so means inevitably that in�any political negotiation the Russians and the Iranians are going to�be in�a pretty strong position, more so than�Europe and the United States," Sawers told CNN.


The ISSG was formed in�November 2015 as�an international format to�resolve the Syrian crisis. Russia and the United States co-chair the ISSG, which includes Iran and 15 other countries, as�well as�the United Nations, the Arab League and the European Union.


The Syrian peace talks in�Geneva involve representatives of�the Syrian government as�well as�delegations of�Syrian opposition forces, including some radical groups like�Jaysh al-Islam.

Jaysh al-Islam militants are accused of�using human shields, mass killing, abductions, and using chemical weapons. At the same time, representatives of�the group are still involved in�the talks.

On May 11, the US along�with Britain and France vetoed Russia�s proposal to�the UN Security Council on�adding Jaysh al-Islam to�the list of�terrorist organizations.

By not recognizing the Jaysh al-Islam extremist group as�terrorists the West risks derailing the Syrian peace process, former CIA contractor Stephen Kelley told RT.

The "West�s unwillingness to�label Jaysh al-Islam a terrorist organization poses a threat to�the peaceful settlement. This group is not moderate because they kill civilians," Kelley pointed out.

According to�him, representatives of�Jaysh al-Islam must be excluded from�the talks.

"They are murderers. They are militants and they cannot represent the Syrian people. They are carrying out�genocide," Kelley added.

By Sputnik News