Sputnik - Setting up a new regional security system potentially comprising Russia, Iran, Turkey and Syria to counter terrorism and prevent new regional conflicts should become one of Astana talks' main priorities, a member of the Damascus Platform opposition group, Tarek Ahmad, told Sputnik on Wednesday.





MOSCOW (Sputnik)�� The spokesman's statement comes as�the Syrian conflict enters the seventh year. On March 15 and 16, 2011, the Syrian authorities suppressed demonstrations in�Damascus against�President Bashar Assad. Since then the country has been suffering from�the civil war between�government troops and numerous opposition and terrorist organizations.
"I am not very optimistic about�the Syrian political process. We have Geneva proximity talks and Astana meetings, which are more realistic than�Geneva. What we lacks today is coordination based not on�the theory but�on the realistic assessment of�the situation on�the ground. The reality is that Syria is mired in�many regional conflicts now. Astana should pave way for�a new regional security system comprising Russia, Iran, Turkey and Syria to�counter terrorism and prevent new regional conflict," Ahmad, who is also a member of�the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP), said.


According to�the politician, multilateral cooperation against�terrorism was and still is the main target of�the Russian diplomacy in�the Middle East and in�Syria.

On March 14-15, the Kazakh capital of�Astana hosts the third round�of intra-Syrian talks with�participation of Russia, Iran and Turkey, the guarantors of�the Syria ceasefire agreement, the Syrian government and some military opposition groups.