Putin orders withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria as peace talks start

Yahoo – AFP, Max Delany with Layal Abou Rahal in Geneva, 14 March 2016

Russian fighter jets are seen on the tarmac at the Russian Hmeimim military 

base in Latakia province, Syria, on February 16, 2016 (AFP Photo)

Moscow (AFP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the start of the withdrawal of Moscow's forces from Syria in a shock move, as fresh peace talks began in Geneva.

But hopes for a breakthrough at the talks remained remote with both sides locked in a bitter dispute over the future of President Bashar al-Assad, on the eve of the fifth anniversary of the brutal conflict.

"The task that was set before our defence ministry and armed forces has as a whole been completed and so I order the defence ministry to from tomorrow start the withdrawal of the main part of our military contingents from the Syrian Arab Republic," Putin told Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in televised comments.

Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meets 

with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu

(unseen) and Foreign Minister Sergei 

Lavrov (L) at the Kremlin in Moscow on

March 14, 2016 (AFP Photo/Mihail 

Klimentyev)

The Kremlin announced that Putin had called Assad to inform Moscow's long-standing ally of the shock move that appears to end the main part of its controversial bombing campaign that began in September.

"The leaders noted that the actions of the Russian airforce allowed to radically change the situation in the fight against terrorism, to disorganise the fighters' infrastructure and inflict significant damage on them," the Kremlin said in a statement.

"Taking that into account, the President of Russia stated that the main tasks set before the armed forces of Russia in Syria had been completed. It was agreed to carry out the withdrawal of the main part of Russia's airforce contingent," the statement said.

'Courage and heroism'

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad speaks 

during an exclusive interview with AFP in

 the capital Damascus on February 11,

2016 (AFP Photo/Joseph Eid)

The two leaders, however, also agreed that Moscow would maintain an airforce facility in Syria to help monitor the progress of a ceasefire in the war-torn country.

"Assad noted the professionalism, courage and heroism of the officers of the Russian armed forces that took part in the military operations and expressed deep appreciation to Russia," the Kremlin statement said.

"The Syrian leader underlined his readiness for the quickest establishment of the political process in Syria," the statement said.

Russia's decision to begin withdrawing from Syria will help Moscow intensify efforts to reach a political settlement, the Russian ambassador to the United Nations said.

"Our diplomacy has received marching orders to intensify our efforts to achieve a political settlement in Syria," Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on Syria.

Russia began its airstrikes in support of Assad's forces in September, a move that helped shore up the Syrian regime's crumbling forces and allow them to go on the offensive.

Russia sent over 50 warplanes to carry out thousands of strikes across the war-torn country arguing that it was targeting "terrorist" groups including Islamic State jihadists.

The intervention was slammed by the West and its regional allies, who insisted that Moscow was mainly bombing more moderate rebels fighting Assad.

A general view taken from the al-Qaboun rebel held northeastern suburb of the capital 

Damascus on March 13, 2016 shows damaged buildings in the nearby Jobar

neighbourhood (AFP Photo/Abd Doumany)

A temporary ceasefire between Assad's forces and opponents in the country introduced on February 27 has largely held, but it does not cover the IS and Nusra front groups.

Putin said he hoped the withdrawal decision would provide a "good signal" for all the warring sides in the conflict.

"I hope this will significantly increase the level of trust of all the participants in the political process in Syria," Putin said at the televised meeting that was also attended by foreign minister Sergei Lavrov.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists that Moscow's Hmeimim air base in Syria and its Tartus naval facility would remain functioning and that some military contingents would stay behind.

He did not however give any details on how many soldiers would stay in Syria and what the timeframe for withdrawal was.

The UN-hosted negotiations in Geneva are the latest effort to end violence that has killed more than 270,000 people and displaced millions.

An image made available on November 23, 2015, purports to show an explosion

 after airstrikes carried out by Russian air force on what Russia says was an Islamic

State facility in the Syrian province of Idlib (AFP Photo)

'A positive decision'

Syria's main opposition hailed the Kremlin's withdrawal announcement, but said it would wait and see what impact the order would have on the ground.

"We must verify the nature of this decision and its meaning," Salem al-Meslet, spokesman for the opposition High Negotiations Committee told reporters in Geneva.

"If there is a decision to withdraw the (Russian) forces, it is a positive decision, and we will see it on the ground (but) does this decision mean removing forces or just reducing the number of aircraft in Syria, (that) we will have to check," he said.

Hopes for a breakthrough at the talks, however, appeared remote with the sides locked in a bitter dispute over Assad's future.

As the Syrian delegations arrived in Geneva over the weekend, Damascus warned that any discussion about removing Assad would be a "red line".

Top Western diplomats immediately condemned the comment from Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem as divisive and provocative.

After his first official meeting with the regime on Monday, UN envoy Staffan de Mistura told reporters that "strong statements (and) rhetoric" were part of every tough negotiation and that his initial discussions with government representative Bashar al-Jaafari were "useful".

Russia's President Vladimir Putin, pictured on February 20, 2016, said Russia will

do "whatever is necessary" to ensure that Damascus respects a Syrian ceasefire

agreement (AFP Photo/Mikhail Klimentyev)

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US Secretary of States John Kerry (R) gestures beside of Russian Foreign Minister

 Sergei Lavrov (L) during a news conference after the International Syria Support 

Group (ISSG) meeting in Munich on February 12, 2016 (AFP Photo/Christof Stache)

American 'IS' fighter surrenders in Iraq: Kurdish military - New

"The Dysfunction of Darkness" - Nov 14, 2015 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Carroll) - (Reference to Paris/ISIS/Dark-Old Energy/USA+Warning for Governments around the World !!!) - (Text version) New

“…  No More Fence-sitting

We gave you another prophecy years ago. No one is going to be able to sit on the fence in the new energy. There is no government that can sit and watch, because they will all be involved. They're going to have to make the decision to fight the darkness or not. And if they do not fight the darkness, they will then be vulnerable to the dark army. We told you this information years ago. All governments on this planet will eventually be involved in eliminating the dark army. So when the dark army beats on the beehive, those who have been sitting on the fence will be ripped off and will see light and dark and must make a decision. The dark army, by its very actions, is seeding its own destruction. It does not understand light. It only understands one thing: Fear. This represents a very old energy. It goes like this: "If you can make people afraid, you will win any battle." This is an old energy consciousness, and there is truth to it, if you're a victim. If you're a transmitter of light, it won't affect you. You'll know better.

Funding is the Grease of the Engine of Darkness

Everyone on the planet will have to get off the fence in order to eliminate the dark army. Now we have told you before how to do it. And politicians will roll their eyes. Those on the inside of government who know how things work will roll their eyes. You can eliminate the dark army without death. The very thing they're afraid of losing, you can take from them now. Money! How does a dark army work when they can't eat? How will they function when they have no weapons? I guarantee you, even the darkest member of a dark army will go home if they're not fed, or there's no one around to organize them because the leaders are hungry and left. It's impossible, some say. The money is coming from unknown sources, they say. Let me tell you something. No, it isn't. It is coming from very known sources. Much of it comes from the resources of conquered land, but not all. They will start losing their land soon, so they will need funds all the more. If the sources of their income were totally exposed - there are those listening who need to hear this - if the sources of their income were totally exposed, it would make a big difference to the public, who would be shocked.

Let me talk to politicians. You regularly sit across the table from those who are from other countries and who are allies. They smile at you as they fund the dark side. After all, there is money to be made with war! This has been the way of it for years. But this won't last long. Politician, when it's found out that you knew about it, you are the one who will be held responsible. You didn't do anything about it.

I want to talk to Americans, because my partner [Lee] is an American. I'm going to tell you something now, and you're not going to believe it. Many of your hard-earned tax funds are finding their way to the dark army! And there are those within your government who know it. I'll give you an answer as to what to do about it in just a few words: International transparent forensic accounting. International transparent forensic accounting! It is time to clean up the funding of the dark, and kill their ability to make war.***

I have a warning for any of those in leadership who know about where the money is coming from, and are not doing anything about it. Your leadership days are numbered. The light is going to expose it and you will lose. Why not get on the right side of the fence now?

Is this too high-minded? Is this too simple? To think that the world could come together and pull the rug from under the darkness where they sit and the cocoon of money that they're in - could this actually happen? Watch for a wild card! [Kryon chuckles again.]

If you did this, would it change the kind of attack you had in Paris? After all, that wasn't an army at all, but just a few. The answer is yes - for the few answer to the many and were trained by the many. They saw the many as an established core to work from. Without the core, there is no purpose. The few are then on their own, without anything backing them up.

It's up to you listening, not the ones in this room. The ones listening and reading later may not even be into Kryon or channeling, but they hear this and know I'm right. This is not a dark message. It's a light message! The beginning is here. Things are changing. You are witnessing the change as we speak.

There'll come a day when you will never see this happen again, these organized groups of evil. This is the joyful message I have for you today. History will remember these times when the world finally got together and realized where they were going. It is tough now. It changes the paradigm of existence. Lives, governments and business will all start to understand the battle is here and is theirs to win. What is your reaction?

I want you to congratulate, love, and understand those who were lost yesterday [in Paris]. I've said this before: They are on my side of the veil now. They're all right. They're now looking back at you and - we have used the phrase before - they're saying, “We did our part. Now you do yours.” They will return to this planet, all of them, and participate in the beauty of the light you are creating at this time of shift on your planet.

Believe me, the end has already happened. This is the beginning.

I am in love with humanity, because of what I have seen you do.

And so it is.

KRYON