Israel flag with a view of old city Jerusalem and the KOTEL- Western wall
The results of the upcoming Russian-US-Israeli meeting could stabilize the situation in Syria and the entire Middle East, Yevgeny Anoshin, a spokesman for the secretary of the Russian Security Council, said on June 19.
Russia’s Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev, US National Security Advisor John Bolton, and Israel’s National Security Advisor Meir Ben-Shabba will lead the meeting which is set to be held in the city of Jerusalem next week.
“We hope our joint work will yield common practical steps aimed at stabilizing the situation in Syria and the entire Middle East,” Anoshin said, according to the Russian news agency, TASS.
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared the same optimistic view on the meeting. During a recent memorial ceremony in Jaffa the Israeli PM said that the meeting is “very important for the stability of the Middle East during these turbulent times.”
Earlier this month, Asharq al-Awsat reported that the US will offer a new deal on Syria for Russia. According to the London-based newspaper, under the deal Washington will lift sanctions of Damascus and recognize the legitimacy of the current government there, in exchange for several measures that would “minimize” Iran influence in the war-torn country and boost the political process.
Russia’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Vershinin, had denied Aharq al-Awsat’s claims. On June 6, Vershinin said that Moscow is not discussing any deals on Syria with Washington or Tel Aviv.
While the chances of reaching a “deal” on Syria during the Jerusalem meeting remain low. Russia, the U.S. and Israel could reach a kind of understanding regarding several issues related to Syria during, such as the Iranian military presence and the situation in Greater Idlib.
