Putin could end Syrian war with one phonecall, says Philip Hammond

Foreign secretary says question of Assad staying or going depends on whether Russia is prepared to use its influence to remove him

Putin could end Syrian war with one phonecall, says Philip Hammond

Frances Perraudin in London and Kareem Shaheen in Beirut-Sunday 14 February 2016

Vladimir Putin could end Syria’s civil war with one phonecall, Britain’s foreign secretary has said.

Calling on the Russians to end airstrikes on moderate Syrian opposition fighters,Philip Hammond said: “There is one man on this planet who can end the civil war in Syria by making a phonecall and that’s Mr Putin.”

He said the political situation in Syria had not changed in the past year. “Whether or not Assad goes or stays ultimately will depend on whether the Russians are prepared to use their influence to remove him. That was exactly the same a year ago,” he said.

On Saturday Turkey said it had shelled a Kurdish militia in northern Syria and said it, along with Saudi Arabia, would consider sending ground troops in.

The US has urged Turkey to turn its attention to fighting Isis after world powers including the UK, the US and Russia agreed to pause hostilities in Syria on Friday– an agreement that did not have the backing of the Syrian government or include attacks on Isis or al-Nusra Front.

Renewed violence in the multi-layered conflict threatens to upend the truce agreed in Munich, which calls for a “cessation of hostilities” within a week and the delivery of humanitarian aid to besieged areas around the country.

An aerial campaign by Moscow launched last autumn and intensified in recent weeks has driven the most significant gains by the regime of Bashar al-Assadsince the start of the war, having primarily targeted mainstream rebels bent on overthrowing him.

On Sunday the Kremlin said Putin and Barack Obama had discussed the crisis in a phonecall, agreeing that the deal reached in Munich was a positive step and pledging to implement the ceasefire and the delivery of aid.

But Moscow continued to bomb areas in the provinces of Latakia and Aleppo on Sunday, abetting a regime advance days after the Munich deal. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group with wide contacts inside Syria, said Russian warplanes had carried out an intense bombardment in northern Aleppo backing an offensive of troops loyal to Assad.

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