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Russia Reaches Deal for Syria Safe Zones, but Some Rebels Scoff Russia Reaches Deal for Syria Safe Zones, but Some Rebels Scoff
(about 2 hours later)
Russia, Iran and Turkey signed a memorandum on Thursday to create four safe “de-escalation zones” in Syria, which if successful would be one of the most far-reaching steps to halt bloodshed in a war now in its seventh year. BEIRUT, Lebanon — Russia, Iran and Turkey signed a memorandum Thursday to create four “de-escalation zones” in Syria, to reduce bloodshed in a war now in its seventh year, but many questions remained about the plan.
The memorandum, circulated in advance by Russia at cease-fire talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, is rife with ambiguities. Some rebel representatives at the talks denounced the agreement as inadequate. Presented at talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, the memorandum was the most ambitious of recent proposals, but it was not signed by the Syrian rebels or government. Rebel representatives said it left too many loopholes for the Syrian military to continue what the rebels called indiscriminate bombings of civilian areas.
But the top United Nations envoy dealing with the conflict, Staffan de Mistura, who also was at the talks, called the memorandum an “important, promising, positive step in the right direction.” It was a significant endorsement from a diplomat who has struggled mightily to bring antagonists together for peace talks that have made no progress. The memorandum calls for a pause in fighting, including government airstrikes, and for unhindered aid deliveries in and around the four main zones still held by rebels unaffiliated with the Islamic State. It also calls for all parties to fight jihadists like the Islamic State and the Qaeda-linked group once known as the Nusra Front.
Russia and Iran are the main allies of President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, and Turkey is a major backer of some of the important armed insurgent groups that oppose him. The top United Nations envoy dealing with Syria, Staffan de Mistura, called the memorandum an “important, promising, positive step in the right direction.”
Under the memorandum they signed as guarantors of a cease-fire, fighting between government forces and insurgents is to stop in four zones that include rebel-held territory in the north, central and southern parts of the country. But some rebels, in rejecting the deal, said they would not accept Iran as a guarantor and reiterated their demands for the ouster of Iran-backed militias like Hezbollah, an end to arbitrary detentions, and other concessions the government is unlikely to grant.
It remains unclear precisely how the guarantors will monitor compliance with what they are calling “de-escalation zones.” Government and opposition analysts displayed rare agreement, complaining that the deal could be a step toward dividing Syria into government and rebel zones.
Aleksandr Lavrentyev, the Russian negotiator at the Astana talks, was quoted by Russian news media as saying Russia was prepared to send observers to these zones and “work more closely” with other countries that back the rebels, including the United States and Saudi Arabia. The State Department, which was only tangentially involved in the Astana talks, said in a statement that it supported any effort “genuinely” aimed at creating “a credible, peaceful resolution,” but that it had concerns about Iran’s role. It said Iran’s activities and “unquestioning support” for President Bashar al-Assad of Syria had only contributed to violence.
There was no immediate comment from the United States, which sent an emissary to the Astana talks after a telephone conversation on Tuesday between President Trump and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who vowed to renew efforts to collaborate on ending the Syria conflict. And rights groups warned that the agreement should not be construed as a reason for countries to force out Syrian refugees. “States hosting refugees have an obligation not to forcibly return Syrian refugees to Syria, where their lives and freedoms would be at risk,” Amnesty International said.
The zones exclude any areas held by the Islamic State and a Qaeda affiliate commonly known as the Nusra Front, extremist groups that are not participating in the talks and that have been targeted in aerial assaults by forces of Russia and the United States. The deal brought together three of the outside powers that have helped fuel the conflict from opposite sides. Russia and Iran are the main allies of Mr. Assad, and Turkey backs some of the armed insurgent groups that oppose him.
Osama Abu Zeid, a spokesman for some of the rebel groups at the Astana talks, said in a statement that they had rejected the memorandum partly because creation of the zones implied a fragmentation of the country and the pact contained no guarantee of “the unity of the Syrian territory.” But a previous cease-fire that those parties reached in Astana, without full agreement from the Syrian parties, quickly fell apart.
Mr. Zeid also said the groups he represented opposed any role as a cease-fire guarantor for Iran and the pro-Assad militias it supports because “they are aggressors.” The de-escalation zones, envisioned as places where displaced Syrian civilians could voluntarily return, include the northern province of Idlib, the central province of Homs, the East Ghouta region outside Damascus, and southern Syria along the Jordanian border.
Mr. Lavrentyev said at a news conference in Astana that the agreement would go into effect on Saturday and that the Syrian Air Force was expected to avoid the protected zones. The State Department called on Russia to ensure that the Syrian government “stop all attacks on civilians and opposition forces, something they have never done.” And it called on members of the opposition to separate their forces from those of terrorist groups, a condition of the agreement.
He also said the Syrian government would abide by the agreement, unless rebel groups carried out attacks in the zones — ambiguous language that critics called a loophole that allows violations committed by Mr. Assad’s side. It is unclear how the guarantors will monitor compliance. Aleksandr Lavrentyev, the Russian negotiator at the talks, told Russian news outlets that Russia could send observers and “work more closely” with countries that back the rebels, including the United States and Saudi Arabia. Monitors could also come from a range of countries friendly to Russia.
Many of Mr. Assad’s opponents in the conflict say the Syrian government has no credibility to honor any cease-fire agreement because it has violated all previous such pacts since the conflict began in March 2011. Mr. Lavrentyev told reporters in Astana that the agreement would go into effect on Saturday and that the Syrian air force was expected to avoid the protected zones — unless rebel groups carried out attacks. Islamic State and Qaeda militants have not taken part in talks and are not covered by the agreement.
In the past, rebels said, those exceptions have meant in practice that the Russian-backed Syrian forces can strike anywhere and say they are hitting terrorists.
Asked if rebel groups would target the Islamic State and Al Qaeda, one rebel commander told reporters in Astana, “All those who killed the Syrians, whether they are Qaeda or those who killed them with chemicals or barrel bombs” — meaning the government — “they are terrorists, and we will fight them.”
Emile Hokayem, an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said that area-by-area cease-fires put Mr. Assad’s opponents at a disadvantage because they allow pro-government forces to “allocate military resources as needed, while the remnants of the rebellion cannot move troops across the country.”