UN Security Council expected to meet on Syria safe zones deal

UNITED NATIONS: Japan and Sweden have requested a UN Security Council meeting to obtain specific details of a Russia-backed agreement on establishing safe zones in Syria, diplomats said on Tuesday.

The meeting, which is likely to be held this week, would help council members decide on whether to endorse the deal signed by Russia, Iran and Turkey.

The agreement signed in the Kazakh capital Astana on May 4 calls for the creation of four “de-escalation zones” to shore up a ceasefire, ban flights and allow for deliveries of humanitarian aid.

The United Nations has described it as a promising step in efforts to end the six-year war that has killed more than 320,000 people.

Russia has presented a draft resolution to the council that welcomes the deal and calls on all parties to abide by its provisions, but no vote has been scheduled on the measure.

French Ambassador Francois Delattre said it was important that the council “get all the clarity needed before engaging on a draft resolution.”

“The question today is: Do we have all the elements we need to understand the substance and the way this agreement is going to be implemented- This is really the key question and frankly the answer to this question is ‘not yet’,” Delattre told reporters.

Japan and Sweden are, along with Egypt, the leaders at the Security Council on humanitarian issues from the Syrian conflict.

— AFP Smoke billows following a reported air strike on the northwestern Al Haramat neighbourhood of Mosul during the ongoing government offensive to retake the area from IS group fighters.

— AFP Syrians ride a motorbike past destroyed buildings in a rebelheld area of the southern city of Daraa.