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Russia and Turkey announce Syria ceasefire plan
The Presidents of Russia and Turkey have proposed the establishment of safe zones in Syria in an attempt to de-escalate the six-year-old civil war in the country.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin met in the Russian resort town of Sochi, and expressed hope that both the Syrian government and rebels would adopt their proposals.
Speaking after the meeting, President Putin said: “We as guarantors — Turkey, Iran, Russia — will do everything for this to work.”
The plan was presented to the rebels in Astana, Kazakhstan. They said it creates four zones in Syria where fighting would cease. The four zones include areas in rebel held Idlib Province, the besieged Damascus suburb of Eastern Ghouta, a besieged pocket north of the central city of Homs, and southern Syria along the Jordanian border where US backed rebels have recently made gains.
The zones would be monitored by international observers and allow for the voluntary return of refugees.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry said Damascus is “fully backing” the Russian initiative. However, opposition representative Ahmed Ramadan told The Associated Press that they want further information, including the reason why the ceasefire would only be in effect in the four areas instead of a nationwide truce.
Furthermore, rebels walked out of proximity ceasefire talks with the Damascus government taking place in Astana. They cited repeated violations of a similar truce agreement in December and demanded a halt to the government’s bombardment of opposition zones.
The US Assistant Secretary of State Stuart E. Jones was present at the talks. He is the most senior American official to participate in Syria talks since President Trump took office.
In separate proposals, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously proposed the establishment of a secure buffer zone between Israel, Jordan and Syria as part of any future resolution to end the conflict. The intention is to keep Iranian forces and the Iranian-sponsored terror group Hezbollah at a safe distance from Israeli territory.