The 70th Session of the General Assembly of the United Nations opened 15 September with the attendance of 150 world leaders. This session is very special for two reasons. The first is that the world celebrates this year the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the United Nations. The second is linked to a historic summit between US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin held on Monday, 28 September, in New York City. The summit focused on two questions that have caused tension in US-Russian relations: the situation in the Ukraine, and second and the most important from an Egyptian and Arab point of view the question of Syria. The White House spokesperson said the summit was called by the Russians who, according to his statement, wanted to discuss the Ukrainian crisis with the United States government. From the Russian side, I believe the main subject matter and this should not downplay the importance of the Ukraine in US-Russian relations was Syria. As far as the situation in the Ukraine is concerned, I'd wager the two sides will stress the importance of carrying out the Minsk Agreement and the implementation mechanism agreed among the warring parties. Both Washington and Moscow have an interest in defusing the Ukrainian crisis in order to cooperate fully and genuinely in finding a political solution in Syria based on the Geneva Communique of 30 June 2012, as well as the presidential statement of the Security Council in July that adopted the de Mistura peace plan for Syria. The new and interesting developments in Syria have been the informal talks between the Russians and the Americans on coordinating military activities in Syria. For the first time since March 2011, the two sides have agreed to cooperate in Syria not only politically and diplomatically, but also militarily. I would call this a significant breakthrough that could augur well for the Middle East in its fight against transborder terrorism led by the Islamic State (IS) group. Commenting on a phone call with his Russian counterpart on 15 September, US Secretary of State John Kerry said, speaking about possible military coordination with the Russians in Syria, “It is vital to avoid misunderstandings, miscalculations [and] not to put ourselves in a predicament where we are supposing something and the supposition is wrong.” In preparation for the US-Russian summit, Kerry held a meeting with Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, on 27 September. In a joint press conference albeit, a brief one after the meeting, Lavrov said that both his country and the United States will “coordinate efforts against” IS. He was responding to a question about intelligence-sharing arrangements among Russia, Iraq, Syria and Iran. To this issue, the US secretary of state answered by pointing out that such a coordination “is the beginning of a genuine effort to see if there is a way to de-conflict, but also to find a way forward that will be effective in keeping a united, secular Syria that can be at peace and stable again without foreign troops present, and that is our hope.” In the previous answer by Kerry we can find the parameters of the US position regarding a concerted and a coordinated approach with the Russians in Syria, both militarily and politically. The New York summit between Obama and Putin was expected to give the go-ahead for the official launch of such an approach, which should be welcomed by those who have advocated the absolute priority of fighting terrorism, and mostly IS and all terrorist groups affiliated with it or with Al-Qaeda. The Americans seem to have conceded to the Russians, not only in this respect, but also on dropping their insistence on the immediate departure of Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad from power at the beginning of the transition to democracy in Syria. It is a tactical move by the Americans that could open the way for a political solution in Syria. It is a welcome change that has been seconded by a similar change on the part of the European Union. Leaders of the union had called on Thursday, 24 September, in Brussels for “broad international talks to end the civil war (in Syria),” with German Chancellor Angela Merkel saying Al-Assad should be included in any transitional arrangement in Syria. Should the exceptional US-Russian summit in New York officially endorse such a signifcant change, which is tactical on the part of the US administration, it would have long-term strategic implications for the Middle East and Egypt. The writer is a former assistant to the foreign minister.
