With no hint of irony, Qatar, China and Saudi Arabia have called for 'free and fair elections' in Syria

Some of the biggest major international players that are deemed to be on either side of the conflict in Syria met for the first time for peace talks in Vienna last week.

As well as US secretary of state John Kerry, Britain's foreign secretary Philip Hammond and Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir - who are opposed to the leadership of Bashar al-Assad - Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and a representative of Iran - who back the regime - were among those in attendance.

The dignitaries drew up a nine-point plan which has been described as "the first serious attempt to end the war in Syria".

Among the proposed measures in the "joint statement" were a commitment to maintaining Syria's sovereignty, a dedication to defeating Isis and other Islamist groups, and a need to defend "the rights of all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity or religious denomination".

But buried down at number seven on the list, was this little nugget:

Pursuant to the 2012 Geneva Communique and UN Security Council Resolution 2118, the participants invited the UN to convene representatives of the government of Syria and the Syrian opposition for a political process leading to credible, inclusive, non-sectarian governance, followed by a new constitution and elections. These elections must be administered under UN supervision to the satisfaction of the governance and to the highest international standards of transparency and accountability, free and fair, with all Syrians, including the diaspora, eligible to participate.

Among the signatories to this demand for "free and fair" elections were the military government Egypt, the single-party state of China and the absolute monarchies of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Meanwhile, neither the opposition or Syrian government attended the talks.

Mmm, democracy.

HT Julie Lenarz

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