UN supports peace talks plan for Syria

Russia and Turkey’s efforts are given unanimous backing

UNITED NATIONS // The UN Security Council yesterday unanimously adopted a resolution supporting efforts by Russia and Turkey to end the nearly six-year conflict in Syria and restart peace negotiations.

The resolution also called for the “rapid, safe and unhindered” delivery of humanitarian aid across Syria, and anticipated a meeting of Syrian government and opposition officials in Kazakhstan this month. The final text dropped an endorsement of the ceasefire deal that went into effect on Friday, as western members of the council sought changes to the draft resolution to clarify the UN’s role and the meaning of the agreement brokered by Moscow and Ankara. The ceasefire was the third attempt at a truce in 2016. The UN resolution came as Syrian rebel groups threatened to end the truce because of breaches. Although the level of violence dropped since it took effect on Friday, fighting has continued in some areas.

Factions belonging to the Free Syrian Army (FSA), a loose alliance of militias that excludes extremist groups, said government forces had been trying to push rebels back in Wadi Barada, north-west of Damascus.

They said government forces were massing for an attack on the area, the primary source of water for the capital and its surrounding region.

The government assault has coincided with a severe water shortage in Damascus since December 22. Images from the valley indicate its Ain Al Fijeh spring and water processing facility were destroyed in air strikes. The government said rebels polluted the water source with diesel, forcing it to cut supplies to the capital.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed clashes in the Barada valley yesterday, and said there had also been government shelling in the southern provinces of Quneitra and Deraa. The FSA also accused the government of signing a different version of the truce agreement.