The presidents of Russia and Turkey are pushing for the creation of safe-zones in war-torn Syria as talks were expected to resume on Thursday in Kazakhstan between the government and opposition.

Meeting in the Russian resort town of Sochi, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin expressed hope on Wednesday the Syrian government and rebels would adopt this latest proposal to “de-escalate” the conflict, which has run now for six years and claimed some 400,000 lives.

“We both proceed on the basis that – and this is our common position – the creation of safe zones should lead to further pacification and cessation of hostilities,” said Putin.

Turkey and Russia are deeply entangled in the war in Syria, including each having troops on the ground – Ankara supporting various Syrian opposition factions and Moscow backing President Bashar al-Assad’s forces.

The rebels suspended their participation at the talks in Astana, the Kazakh capital, on Wednesday in protest of air strikes targeting areas under their control in Syria, demanding a halt to the government’s bombardment.

The Syrian armed opposition will return to the talks on Thursday, RIA news agency quoted a source close to the negotiations as saying. Reuters news agency reported the rebel delegation had not yet arrived at the venue.

 Syria’s Ghouta residents fear it’s time to flee

Russian representatives had presented the rebels with a proposal for four “de-escalation zones” in Syria where the warring sides would be separated by “security lines”.

“About terrorists, in spite of the creation of these zones, the war on terror will be ongoing – against such organisations as so-called Islamic State [ISIL], Jabhat al-Nusra, and those ones that are put on the list of terrorist organisations approved by the United Nations,” Putin said .

Putin said Russian and Syrian government jets would halt flights over the specified zones if all sides respect the ceasefire.

The proposal presented to the rebels in Astana delineates four zones in Syria where front lines between the government and rebels would be frozen and fighting halted, according to a statement made by rebels.

The four include areas in the provinces of Idlib and Homs, the eastern Ghouta suburbs outside Damascus, and an area in the south of the country.

The zones, according to a document received by rebels, would be monitored by international observers and allow for the voluntary return of refugees.

“We won’t admit the emergence on our southern borders of enemy enclaves that would endanger our territorial integrity and security,” Erdogan said.

Late Wednesday, Syria’s foreign ministry said Damascus is “fully backing” the Russian initiative on the four ceasefire areas, according to the state-run SANA news agency.

But Ahmed Ramadan, an opposition representative, told The Associated Press that rebels requested a written answer on a number of questions, including why the ceasefire would only be in effect in the four areas instead of a nationwide truce.

This is the fourth round of talks in Astana since January. Separately, there have been five rounds of UN-sponsored Syria peace talks in Geneva since 2012, but none have led to a sustainable ceasefire.

Later Wednesday, the UN Syria envoy, Staffan de Mistura, called on the rebels to return to the talks in Astana “because what is important is also to look at the possibility of an outcome on a de-escalation”. He stressed the importance of not destroying “the opportunity of good news” related to this issue.

 Syria: Under Russia’s fist – People and Power </s> Russia, Iran and Turkey have signed a deal calling for safe zones to be established inside Syria so that refugees can return and aid be sent in.

The deal, which has not been signed by rebel groups or the Syrian government, proposes one zone in Idlib province, another in Homs, and a third near Damascus.

In theory, all three sites would be no-fly and no-combat zones, though how these areas would be enforced and by whom remains unclear.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that ways to monitor the zones would be an issue for separate talks.

A member of the rebel delegation stormed out of the talks at one point, denouncing Iran which supports the Syrian government.

Russia also backs Assad's leadership, while Turkey supports several rebel factions.

Idlib, where the first of the zones is to be located, is under rebel control and was the site of the recent gas attack which was blamed by the West on Assad's regime.

Homs is largely under the control of government forces, though there is still fierce fighting with ISIS in the area.

Meanwhile the eastern district of Ghouta, in Damascus, is held by a warring selection of rebel factions.

Wednesday's agreement followed on from the Astana talks in December last year which brokered a largely failed ceasefire.

Kazakhstan's foreign minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov said: 'Over the past two days, the participants in the Astana talks reviewed the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the cessation of hostilities.

'As a result the guarantor countries agreed to sign a memorandum on the creation of de-escalation zones in Syria.'

The aim is to 'put an immediate end to the violence' and 'provide the conditions for the safe, voluntary return of refugees' as well as the immediate delivery of relief supplies and medical aid, the document said.

Syrian rebels said earlier Thursday that they had resumed participation in the talks after having suspended their involvement a day earlier over air strikes against civilians.

After talks with Turkey counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the safe zones were meant to lead to 'further pacification and cessation of hostilities.'

He also said the proposed zones would also be no-fly areas if fighting on the ground there stopped entirely.

The Kremlin's plan echoes calls by US leader Donald Trump to establish safe zones in Syria.

Putin said Wednesday that 'as far I could tell' the US leader broadly supported the idea in a phone call they held on Tuesday.

Erdogan said in comments published Thursday that Moscow's plan to set up these zones in Syria would '50 per cent' solve the six-year conflict.

More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the country's war began with anti-government protests in March 2011. </s> A pact reached by Russia, Iran and Turkey to create de-escalation zones came into force in Syria at midnight local time (21:00GMT) on Saturday, in a bid to shore up ceasefire and allow for a safe return of refugees.

The four zones span the northwestern Idlib province and parts of the neighboring Latakia, Hama and Aleppo, the north of the central Homs province, Eastern Ghouta near Damascus, as well as southern Daraa and Quneitra regions.

The Syrian government has agreed to stop fighting in the designated areas, although some armed opposition members walked out of Astana talks in protest at the agreement.

The deputy chief of the Russian General Staff's Main Operational Directorate Stanislav Gadzhimagomedov said later the UN’s special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura had convinced Syrian opposition forces of the importance of safe zones. </s> WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the country’s armed forces would advance toward Manbij after completing operation in al-Bab.

The move could "have an impact on the coalition campaign plan," Votel said in an interview with Foreign Policy.

The commander noted that the United States is "fully engaged" with Turkey and is trying to work out a solution for northern Syria to make sure that US-backed and Turkish forces do not fight each other.

Safe zones in Syria could operate successfully in the areas that have already been taken under control, Votel said.

The idea of creating safe zones in Syria is "a viable concept," Votel said as quoted by Foreign Policy.

Votel underscored, however, that creation of safe zones would not be easy, according to the magazine.

The US general explained that it would demand "all of the resources" in place, including ground troops which would be used to hold the area.

On February 16, Syrian National Council Co-chair Ilham Ehmed said in an interview with Firat News Agency that the safe zones proposed by the Trump administration would be created in areas under control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG).

Turkish chief presidential adviser Ilnur Cevik told Sputnik on Tuesday that Ankara would be against the creation of safe zones in Kurdish areas in Syria because they might be used by Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), considered a terrorist organization in Turkey.

Tensions between Ankara and the Kurds escalated in July 2015 when a ceasefire between Turkey and the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) collapsed because of a series of terror attacks allegedly committed by PKK members.

Second Explosion in One Day Occurs Near Al-Bab Amid Turkish-Led Op Victory On August 24, the Turkish army launched Operation Euphrates Shield against militants of the Daesh group, which is outlawed in Russia and many other countries. Since then the Turkish-led forces have driven Daesh from a number of settlements in northern Syria. The Turkish forces, with assistance from Syrian opposition fighters, occupied the city of Jarablus in northern Syria.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that the aim of the operation is to clear the territory of 5,000 square kilometers (1,930 square miles) in Syria as part of the operation and create a safe zone for refugees.

The operation has been widely criticized both by the Syrian Kurds and Damascus, who have accused Ankara of violating Syria's territorial integrity. </s> The Saudi backed High Negotiations Committee of Syrian rebels today angrily condemned the agreement to establish safe zones for civilians in Syria, insisting that the plan was “illegitimate” and meant to “partition the country” with the establishm4ent of demilitarized areas.

This opposition echoes complaints from other rebel factions yesterday when the plan was initially announced. The US nominally supports the safe zones, though they have insisted they will not respect them if they decide they want to carry out attacks in those areas.

Fight around the safe zones has mostly been reduced since they went into effect overnight, though there was some report of fighting near a safe zone in Hama Province, with rebels and the Syrian military contesting a village. The rebels insisted the Syrian military was to blame for the fighting.

Russia, Iran, and Turkey are all serving as guarantors of the safe zones, which puts substantial pressure on the Syrian government to respect them, as well as on the Turkish-backed subset of rebels. The Saudi-backed rebels, however, are expected to ignore it outright.
• Saudi Arabia, US in Talks on Billions in Arms Sales - May 5th, 2017
• Palestinian Experts: Still No Clear American Policy on Peace - May 5th, 2017
• US Dismisses Ban on Aircraft Over Syrian Safe Zones - May 5th, 2017
• US Carrier Parked Off Iran Complains Iranian Surveillance a 'Nuisance' - May 5th, 2017
• Iraq Kills 68 Civilians in Attack on Mosul School, Denies 'Targeting Civilians' - May 5th, 2017 </s> The ceasefire will last six months and could be "automatically extended" for another six months, Alexander Lavrentyev said Friday after talks in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency also reported on the ceasefire -- signed by Russia, Turkey and Iran -- saying a joint working group will be set up by the agreement's three guarantor countries to determine the precise borders of the four zones by June 4.

The security zones would be in place in Idlib province, to the north of the city of Homs, in Eastern Ghouta near Damascus, and in southern Syria.

Such zones, also referred to as non-conflict or safe zones, are meant to be areas where civilians can live without being targeted by any party in Syria's war. However, key issues would involve whether and how the zones would be enforced.

The High Negotiations Committee, a Syrian opposition group, said the agreement is not legitimate because the UN Security Council is the party delegated to oversee all negotiations on the country's brutal six-year conflict. The group also criticized Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saying he was trying to partition the nation into useful and non-useful regions. Russia and Iran are both key backers of Assad. Turkey supports Syrian opposition forces. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson shared a phone call Friday discussing the zones, the Russian foreign ministry said, according to Russian state media news outlet TASS. "The focus was made on the topic of the Syrian settlement," the ministry said, according to TASS. A State Department official who didn't want to be identified told CNN, "The United States supports any effort that can genuinely de-escalate the violence in Syria, ensure unhindered humanitarian access, focus energies on the defeat of ISIS and other terrorists, and create the conditions for a credible political resolution of the conflict. A spokeswoman for US President Donald Trump commented on the safe zones at the White House daily media briefing. "The President's expressed a desire to achieve peace in Syria ... and we're looking at all ways in order to achieve that," deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said. "And we haven't laid out any specifics any further than that at this point." There were reports that the safe zones would be no-fly areas for warplanes from the US-led coalition. "The coalition will continue to strike ISIS targets in Syria. The campaign to defeat ISIS will continue at the same relentless pace it is proceeding now," the State Department official told CNN. Earlier, a Pentagon spokesman, US Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, referred CNN to the State Department for comment but said the de-escalation zones are west of where ISIS operates in Syria. TASS reported Thursday that Moscow says no warplanes will fly over the four safe zones. "We express the confidence that after such a statement, the flights by Syrian combat aircraft and their operation on the territory of de-escalation zones will cease," Lavrentyev said, according to TASS. Syria's Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it accepted a Russian proposal to create de-escalation zones, vowing not to shell the areas in compliance with a largely ignored ceasefire agreed to in December. The Foreign Ministry said regime forces would continue fighting terrorists from ISIS and al Qaeda's former affiliate in Syria, al Nusra Front, according to a statement carried by the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency. </s> ASTANA
• Syrian regime allies Russia and Iran, and rebel supporter Turkey, yesterday signed a memorandum on a Moscow-backed plan to create safe zones in Syria to bolster a fragile truce.

However, a member of the rebel delegation left the room where the peace talks were being held in the Kazakh capital Astana, shouting against Iran.

The Syrian government and rebel delegations are not signatories.

The Kremlin has been touting a plan to create safe zones in Syria that are aimed at "further pacification and cessation of hostilities".

"Over the past two days, the participants in the Astana talks reviewed the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the cessation of hostilities," Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov said of a frail truce brokered by Moscow and Ankara in December.

Over the past two days, the participants in the Astana talks reviewed the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the cessation of hostilities. As a result, the guarantor countries agreed to sign a memorandum on the creation of de-escalation zones in Syria. KAZAKH FOREIGN MINISTER KAIRAT ABDRAKHMANOV, on a frail truce brokered by Moscow and Ankara in December.

"As a result, the guarantor countries agreed to sign a memorandum on the creation of de-escalation zones in Syria."

Turkey's Foreign Ministry said the agreement to create safe zones will cover all of Idlib province, as well as parts of Aleppo, Latakia and Homs. It said the deal would ban all use of weapons in those areas.

The aim is to "put an immediate end to the violence" and "provide the conditions for the safe, voluntary return of refugees", as well as the immediate delivery of relief supplies and medical aid, said a copy of the draft document that was seen by Agence France-Presse.

But issues, including which countries could police any safe zones, remain unclear.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that ways to monitor the zones would be an issue for separate talks.

Syrian rebels said earlier yesterday that they had resumed participation in the talks after having suspended their involvement a day earlier over air strikes against civilians.

After talks with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday, Mr Putin said the safe zones were meant to lead to "further pacification and cessation of hostilities". He also said the proposed zones would be no-fly areas if fighting on the ground there stopped entirely.

The Kremlin's plan echoes calls by United States President Donald Trump to establish safe zones in Syria.

Mr Putin said on Wednesday that "as far as I could tell", the US leader broadly supported the idea in a phone call they held on Tuesday.

Mr Erdogan said in comments published yesterday that Moscow's plan to set up these zones in Syria would "50 per cent" solve the six-year conflict.

More than 320,000 people have been killed in Syria since the country's war began with anti-government protests in March 2011.

Mr Abdrakhmanov said the next Syria peace talks would be held in Astana in mid-July. </s> The four safe zones to be established in Syria will be closed for flights by US-led coalition warplanes, said the Russian envoy to the Astana peace talks, where the zones were agreed upon.He added that the flight ban was not part of the memorandum establishing the safe zones, but assured the coalition would not fly over them.He added that the US-led coalition would continue airstrikes near Raqqa, the Syrian stronghold of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL), near some towns near the Euphrates River and close to the city of Deir ez-Zor.On Thursday, a memorandum was signed in Astana establishing four "safe zones" in Syria, where so-called "moderate opposition" fighters are expected to stay safe from airstrikes and keep jihadist groups out. The zones are set in provinces of Idlib, Latakia and Homs, as well as parts of Aleppo.Russia, Iran and Turkey serve as guarantors of the arrangement, which carries hopes of deescalating violence in the war-torn country.The move was cheered by the United Nations and welcomed with reservations by Washington. </s> ASTANA (Reuters) - Syria’s armed opposition on Thursday rejected a Russian plan to create safe zones in Syria, calling it a threat to the country’s territorial integrity, and said it would also not recognize Iran as a guarantor of any ceasefire plan.

U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura speaks to the media during the fourth round of Syria peace talks in Astana, Kazakhstan, May 4, 2017. REUTERS/Mukhtar Kholdorbekov

Turkey, which supports Syrian rebels, and Iran, which backs Syrian President Bashar Assad, agreed earlier in the day to Russia’s proposal for “de-escalation zones” in Syria, a move welcomed by the United Nations but met with scepticism from the United States.

“We want Syria to maintain its integrity,” opposition delegate Osama Abu Zaid said after Russia, Turkey and Iran signed a memorandum on creating safe zones. The three countries are sponsoring talks in the Kazakh capital Astana aimed at ending Syria’s fighting.

“We are against the division of Syria. As for the agreements, we are not a party to that agreement and of course we will never be in favor (of it) as long as Iran is called a guarantor state,” Abu Zaid said.

He also cited what he called “a huge gap” between the promises of Russia, which intervened militarily in 2015 on Assad’s side and gave him back the upper hand in the conflict.

“We have an agreement already (in) our hands, why isn’t it implemented?” he said, referring to a truce deal announced by Russia in December that was largely ignored on the ground. “Why are we jumping now to safe zones?”

“Russia was not able to or does not want to implement the pledges it makes, and this is a fundamental problem.”

Russia, Turkey and Iran did not immediately publish the memorandum, leaving its details unclear. But the safe zones appear intended to be conflict-free to help widen a ceasefire, and would potentially be policed by foreign troops.

The U.S. State Department said in a statement that it was skeptical of Iran’s involvement as a guarantor of the accord and Damascus’ track record on previous agreements.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in a statement that he was encouraged by the proposal but cautioned it must “actually improve the lives of Syrians.”

Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, said while on a visit to Washington, D.C., that the kingdom supported creation of safe zones but he wanted to see more details.

Russian negotiator Alexander Lavrentyev said that under the plan Russia could send observers to safe zones. He said third-party monitors could be invited provided Iran and Turkey agreed.
The United Nations welcomed the long discussed safe zones, although they have been rejected by Syrian rebels and the Kurdish PYD.