Turkey, Russia, Iran agree on Idlib safe zone

AFP photo

Turkey, Russia and Iran have concluded months-long discussions after agreeing to set up de-escalation zones in four different regions of Syria, including the rebel-held Idlib, for six months, as well as a joint coordination center to monitor the truce between the Syrian regime and moderate opposition groups.
 
The de-escalation zones will include, fully or partly, Eastern Ghouta, the provinces of Idlib, Homs, Latakia, Aleppo and Hama, according to a joint statement issued by the three guarantor countries following the sixth round of Astana process talks in Kazakhstan's capital on Sept. 15. Representatives from the Syrian government and opposition groups also attended the meeting.
  
The statement said the six-month term may be extended in the future on the basis of consensus between the guarantor countries. 

"[Russia, Turkey and Iran] emphasize the need for the conflicting parties to take confidence-building measures, including the release of detainees/abductees and the handover of the bodies as well as identification of missing persons, to create better conditions for the political process and lasting ceasefire," it said.

As part of the agreement, the guarantor countries also decided to form a joint Iranian-Russian-Turkish coordination center aimed at coordinating the activities of de-escalation control forces in the safe zones.

Observers to be deployed
 
In accordance with the agreement, the three countries will deploy observers across the de-escalation zones. In a written statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry confirmed the agreement and said the "observers from these three countries will be deployed at check and observation points in safe zones that form the borders of the de-escalation...

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