First Russian warplanes return from Syria

MOSCOW: The first of Moscow’s warplanes landed back in Russia from Syria on Tuesday at the start of a surprise withdrawal that diplomats hope will boost a new round of peace talks by pressuring the Damascus regime.

UN peace envoy Staffan de Mistura described the pullout as a “significant development” for the talks that began in Geneva on Monday in the latest push to end the five- year conflict, but Western leaders were more cautious.

“We hope ( this) will have a positive impact on the progress of the negotiations,” de Mistura said in a statement.

President Vladimir Putin on Monday ordered the “main part” of his forces out of the war-torn nation but the Kremlin denied it was trying to pressure its longtime ally President Bashar alAssad.

Putin said Moscow’s military goal had been “on the whole” completed some five-and-a-half months and 9,000 combat sorties after the Kremlin launched its bombing campaign in support of Assad. State media broadcast live footage of flag-waving crowds greeting pilots out of their aircraft at a military base in southwest Russia as a brass band played.

Russia will, however, keep a contingent at its air and naval bases in Syria and a senior military official suggested Moscow’s planes could continue striking targets.

“It is still too early to speak of victory over terrorism. The Russian air group has a task of continuing to strike terrorist targets,” deputy defence minister Nikolai Pankov was quoted as saying by Russian news agencies at the Hmeimim base in Syria.