Syrian govt, rebels hail Idlib deal

China Daily | Updated: 2018-09-20 07:54

Sochi agreement 'averts offensive' due to Turkey's guarantee, expert says

BEIRUT, Lebanon - Both Syria's government and its opposition welcomed the Turkey-Russia deal declaring a demilitarized zone around the major rebel stronghold of Idlib, saying on Tuesday that the agreement had prevented more bloodshed.

Still, the government vowed to keep up its campaign against "terrorism", either militarily or with reconciliation deals.

Syria's armed rebels said the Idlib arrangement is a victory for its resistance and will improve its standing after crushing military defeats in recent months elsewhere in the country.

"It will revive the revolutionary spirit," said Alaa Moadamani, a fighter who moved from the Damascus suburb of Daraya in 2016 and has settled in Idlib after an evacuation deal.

Idlib is home to 3 million residents and around 60,000 fighters, including some of the world's most radical. Some estimates put the number of radical fighters at about 10,000, who are in control of nearly 70 percent of the enclave. The deal aims to end their presence in Idlib.

Some of the militants called supporters of the deal "traitors", warning that it is likely to end with indiscriminate violence.

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the demilitarized zone is to be established by Oct 15 and be 15-20 kilometers wide to separate Syrian forces and the rebels, with radical groups withdrawn from the area. The zone will have troops from Russia and NATO-member Turkey conducting coordinated patrols to monitor the demilitarization and restore traffic to the highway linking major Syrian cities that passes through Idlib.

The opposition fighters are to give up their heavy weapons, mortars and tanks by Oct 10, Putin said.

The deal was reached on Monday by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Putin in Sochi, Russia.

As the deal was made, an anticipated Syrian military offensive on Idlib is on hold following Ankara's guarantee on behalf of the rebel groups, an expert said.

"Moscow is convinced that it would not be able to handle the burden of a humanitarian tragedy in the case of a military offensive in Idlib," said Metin Gurcan, a Turkish security analyst with the Istanbul Policy Center of Sabanci University.

Trilateral summit

Russia has also secured its air bases in northern Syria, including its air base in Hmeimim as a guarantee by Turkey under the Sochi agreement, he said.

Gurcan recalled a trilateral summit of Turkey, Iran and Russia held in Iranian capital Teheran in early September, which ended without agreement as Erdogan's call for a cease-fire in Idlib was rejected by Moscow and Teheran.

Now everyone is curious as to how Turkey has given a guarantee to Moscow and how those radical groups will accept a proposal for demilitarization by surrendering heavy weapons and withdrawing, Gurcan said.

Ankara has been warning against any military offensive by the Syrian forces in Idlib, warning that it would lead to a humanitarian crisis and refugee influx to the Turkish border.

Ap - Xinhua