IRAN’S LEADER WARNS AGAINST ‘SCORCHED EARTH POLICY’ IN SYRIA’S IDLIB

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Friday warned against a “scorched earth” policy in Idlib province, as he hosted three-way talks with Russia and Turkey to shape the future of Syria’s last major rebel bastion. Rouhani was speaking as he met with Russian leader Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for highlyanticipated talks in Tehran.

The Turkish leader also urged the Syrian regime and its allies to avoid a bloodbath, but Putin insisted Damascus as “the legitimate Syrian government has a right and must eventually take under control all its national territory”.

The three countries are guarantors of the Astana process, a track of talks on Syria’s civil war launched after Russia’s game-changing 2015 military intervention that has eclipsed Western-backed Geneva negotiations led by the United Nations.

“Fighting terrorism in Idlib is an unavoidable part of the mission of restoring peace and stability to Syria,” Rouhani told the summit in Tehran.

“But this battle must not cause civilians to

suffer or lead to a scorched earth policy,” he added, amid UN warnings of a humanitarian disaster if an offensive goes ahead.

Seized from government forces in 2015, Idlib and adjacent areas form the final major chunk of Syrian territory still under opposition control. It is home to some three million people -- around half of them displaced from other parts of the country, according to the United Nations. Hundreds of civilians have already begun to flee Idlib ahead of what could be the last -- and bloodiest -- major battle of the devastating conflict.