Dion invited to join international talks on Syrian conflict

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The United States and Russia have invited Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion to sit as a permanent member of the 17-nation International Syria Support Group which is meeting in Vienna on Tuesday to find a diplomatic solution to the Syrian conflict and extend a country-wide truce.

Russia co-chairs the group with the U.S., and the Liberal government says the invitation is a sign that its openness to dialogue with the Kremlin allows Canada to play a greater role on the world stage.

"This week's development is a testament to engagement over isolation and to the strength of Canada's commitment to multilateralism," Mr. Dion said in a statement to The Globe and Mail. "Canada's role in the fight for peace and the protection of civilians in the region will be enhanced by our participation on the [International Syria Support Group]."

The former Conservative government showed little interest in pushing its way into the talks and it might not have been successful in any case because of then prime minister Stephen Harper's hardline rhetoric toward Russia and Iran.

Mr. Dion has come under criticism from Liberal MPs and influential Liberals, such as former justice minister Irwin Cotler and former interim Liberal leader Bob Rae, for rejecting an all-party effort to pass a promised Canadian version of the U.S. Magnitsky Act that targets corrupt Russian officials and human-rights violators. The U.S. passed the law in 2012, named after whistleblower Sergei Magnitsky, who exposed a vast Russian fraud and was beaten to death in prison.

Bill Browder, a noted critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin who campaigned to get the law passed in the U.S., has been pushing Canada to adopt a similar act. Parliament unanimously passed a resolution last year in support of the U.S.-style Magnitsky Act, which the Liberals promised to enact if elected.

The Russian embassy e-mailed a statement to The Globe on Monday warning that enacting the Magnitsky law "could lead to yet another unnecessary complication for Russian-Canadian relations."

When Mr. Dion became foreign affairs minister, a senior official said he began lobbying at various international meetings for Canada to join the International Syria Support Group, which also includes the Arab League and European Union countries as well as Turkey, Iran and China.

Canada wanted a place at the table when decisions are made about one of the central global conflicts that has resulted in a massive humanitarian and refugee crisis, the official said.

"For those who question re-engagement – yes with Russia – but also the cautious dialogue with Iran … this is proof it does matter," the official said. "You can sit at the table with people to deal with fundamental issues without legitimizing these people or their values."

Mr. Dion said participation in the Vienna talks also recognizes Canada's role in accepting 25,000 Syrian refugees and increasing the number of Canadian Special Forces trainers in the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

The Foreign Affairs Minister flew to Vienna Monday evening for the one-day talks that are expected to go late into Tuesday evening. The meeting is aimed at restarting political negotiations and shoring up a fragile ceasefire between Syrian government forces and opposition rebels.

Russian air strikes and military aid have helped tip the balance of the war in favour of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, whose continued leadership has become the major stumbling block in diplomatic efforts to end the five-year civil war.

Some Gulf states, such as Saudi Arabia, have expressed concerns that Washington may change its stance on removing Mr. al-Assad from power as part of the peace process.

A temporary ceasefire came into force on May 4 in Syria's largest city Aleppo, after an earlier ceasefire in February had collapsed. The war has killed more than 270,000 people since 2011 and forced 4.6 million Syrians to flee the country.