BEIRUT// The halting of talks between the United States and Russia aimed at bringing a ceasefire to Syria comes amid a wider deterioration of US-Russian relations that will be difficult to overcome.
As the two powers responsible for negotiating cessations in the violence in Syria, the impasse between Washington and Moscow means the prospects for an already elusive peace have drifted even further away and comes as concerns mount over potential war crimes in Aleppo.
US state department spokesman John Kirby announced America's withdrawal from Syria talks on Monday, following through on a threat made by secretary of state John Kerry last week to abandon negotiations with Moscow if the attacks on rebel-held areas of Aleppo by Russia and the Syrian government did not cease.
"There is nothing more for the United States and Russia to talk about," said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.
The American withdrawal from the Syria talks came as Russia suspended a 16-year-old agreement to dispose of weapons-grade plutonium because of what it called "unfriendly actions" by Washington.
The breakdown in relations came less than a month after Washington and Moscow brokered a ceasefire in Syria and were — at least publicly — cautiously optimistic that the two powers were in agreement.
In early September, after intensive, marathon talks, Mr Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov announced a ceasefire in Syria for the Eid Al Adha holidays. The two sides expressed hope that the ceasefire could be the first step toward ending the conflict and showed an eagerness to cooperate, with the US and Russia agreeing to coordinate military actions against extremist groups if the ceasefire held.
With elements of rebel and government forces unwilling to stop fighting, the ceasefire appeared to be doomed from the start. But the prospect of military cooperation between Washington and Moscow and the sudden resurrection of a peace process that had been dead for months were seen as a breakthrough and hinted at progress by international powers.
Any optimism proved short-lived. On September 17, just days after the ceasefire came into effect, air strikes by the US-led anti-ISIL coalition struck Syrian government troops near the city of Deir Ezzor, infuriating Moscow and Damascus. Just two days later, an aid convoy heading into rebel territory near Aleppo was bombed and the US pointed the finger at Russia, which denied involvement. The tenuous ceasefire collapsed amid recriminations all round, which were so bitter that an emergency meeting of the UN security council was cancelled because the Americans and the Russians could not even agree on what to say.
In Aleppo, Syria's once-great commercial capital and the country's largest city before the war, the rebel-held eastern part of the city has been under siege again by pro-government forces for a month. Air strikes by Russian and Syrian jets have intensified in recent days as the government has launched an offensive to retake the city. Bunker-buster bombs, which can penetrate and destroy structures deep below the surface, and incendiary weapons have been used by pro-government forces on the rebel enclave. Health care facilities have been systematically targeted, with Aleppo's largest hospital bombed repeatedly and ultimately destroyed in the past week. The handful of surgeons who have not fled or been killed are responsible for a population of 250,000 that is being shelled and bombed.
For now, whatever progress that was made toward peace in Syria has been lost.
Russia, like Damascus, has proved unwilling to take the peace process seriously by continuing and escalating attacks on rebel areas.
US president Barack Obama's administration has just three and a half months left in office and only a limited number of chances, if any, left to try to make progress on Syria before the cards shuffle. The administration's efforts to broker peace so far have been an exhausting and frustrating affair. In an audio recording recently obtained by The New York Times, Mr Kerry complained that his negotiation attempts were not backed with enough force by a reluctant administration and that his hands were tied.
The impasse between Russia and the US is not just limited to Syria, making any hope of a reconciliation much more elusive.
In a statement announcing the suspension of the plutonium disposal agreement, Russia's ministry of foreign affairs cited US sanctions over Russia's annexation of Crimea and a build-up of Nato and US military forces near Russia's borders.
"The administration of Barack Obama has done all it could do to destroy the atmosphere of trust, which could have encouraged cooperation," said the ministry.
Still, the US is not alone in confronting Russia and international pressure is growing.
On Tuesday, the UN's High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, warned Russia that declaring its enemies in Syria to be terrorist groups was not a valid excuse to ignore the laws of war. Aleppo demands "bold action" he said, including provisions to limit the use of vetoes by Security Council permanent members — one of which is Russia — in instances where there are serious concerns that war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide have been committed.
Despite widespread international criticism for its actions in Aleppo, Russia has refused to back down.
On Sunday, France submitted a Security Council draft resolution calling for an end to all military flights over Aleppo, access for aid and the creation of a ceasefire monitoring mechanism. Moscow dismissed the resolution, saying it had "no chance of working" and that "stronger concerted action against terrorists" was the best path toward peace in Syria.
jwood@thenational.ae
*With additional reporting from Associated Press and Agence France-Presse
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