Russia-Turkey deal met with happiness and sense of unease

The Turkish-Russian deal to stop a military offensive on Idlib was welcomed by many in the Syrian province yesterday, although some were cautious about how long the agreement would hold.

Damascus and Tehran were among those who welcomed the deal to set up a demilitarised buffer around the province, but the Syrian government also vowed to press on with its campaign to recover “every inch” of the country. Its ambassador to Lebanon said the deal would test Turkey’s ability to disarm rebel groups.

Mustafa Sejari, an official of the rebel Free Syrian Army said the deal would save lives and prevent civilians from being targeted by the regime. “It buries [President Bashar Al] Assad’s dreams of imposing his full control over Syria,” he said.

“This area will remain in the hands of the Free Syrian Army and will force the regime and its supporters to start a serious political process that leads to a real transition that ends Assad’s rule,” Mr Sejari said.

The spokesman for the opposition Syrian Negotiations Commission called the deal a “victory for the will for life over the will for death”.

The “scenario of attack is practically excluded, at least for a period of time that is not small, and we hope that it will be permanent”, Yahya Al Aridi said.

Speaking from the Idlib town of Mara Al Nu’man, Qusay Noor told The National the news came as a relief.

“I feel very happy because the situation here did not allow for a disaster like that to happen,” he said. “People are relieved. They will have some time to get their bearings.”

But other residents were less upbeat. Abdulkafi Alhamdo, 32, a teacher living in the eastern countryside of Idlib, said he had mixed emotions about the deal.

“After seven years, if we trusted anyone we would be fools. Whenever we trust anyone they trick us,” said Mr Alhamdo, who lived through the siege of Aleppo before arriving in Idlib.

He said he was “so happy, and so sad” about the deal because it left civilians in a state of limbo. “People might be able to live again. Children might know there is a tomorrow without planes. But we are still nowhere. Refugees for ever.”

Syria’s ambassador to Lebanon, Ali Abdul Karim, said the agreement was a test for Turkey and Ankara would need to now back up the deal with action. But he did little to hide his dislike about Turkey’s support for opposition groups.

“We do not trust Turkey ... but it’s useful for Turkey to be able to carry out this fight to rid these groups of their weapons. Turkey could deal with this responsibility and this would be useful,” Mr Abdul Karim said.

Although Turkey and Russia will now discuss the classification of groups operating in Idlib, pro-Syrian regime newspaper Al-Watan cited sources in Moscow as saying any faction that rejected the agreement would be considered enemies “even of the Turkish army and will be classed as terrorists that must be fought”.

Idlib is held by an assortment of rebels. A number of extremists and groups fighting as the Free Syrian Army are now gathered, with Turkish backing, under the banner of the National Front for Liberation.

But the most powerful is Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, an amalgamation of radical groups dominated by the former Al Nusra Front – an Al Qaeda affiliate until 2016.

Worryingly for the deal, they were vocal about their opposition to any agreement that involved surrendering their weapons.