Ceasefire backed by Russia and Turkey agreed in Syria conflict
● Deal to cover all areas and to be followed by peace talks in Kazakhstan
A nationwide ceasefire agreement has been reached between Syrian government forces and opposition rebels, Russian president Vladimir Putin announced yesterday.
Mr Putin said the ceasefire, which was due to start at midnight and excludes extremist groups such as Islamic State and an al-qaeda affiliate, will be guaranteed by Russia and Turkey.
It will be followed by peace talks between Syrian president Bashar Assad’s government and the opposition, due to be held in Kazakhstan.
The ceasefire will include all parts of Syria, including the eastern suburbs of the capital Damascus.
Syria’s military said it had agreed to the nationwide truce, adding that it paves the way for reactivating negotiations to end the conflict.
It added that the ceasefire comes after the “successes achieved by the armed forces,” an apparent reference to the capture of rebel-held neighbourhoods of Aleppo earlier this month.
Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu said the truce will include 62,000 opposition fighters across Syria, and that the Russian military has established a hotline with its Turkish counterpart to monitor compliance.
Foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said US president-elect Donald Trump’s administration will be welcome to join the Syrian peace process once he takes office.
Russia is a key ally of Mr Assad, while Turkey is one of the main backers of the opposition.
Several previous attempts to halt the civil war have failed, but the recent warming of ties between Turkey and Russia may prove to be crucial.
The move follows the Syrian army retaking control of Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, ending the opposition’s four-year hold over parts of the city.
Mr Putin said he had ordered the Russian military to scale down its presence in Syria, where it has provided crucial support to Mr Assad’s forces.
The Russian leader did not say how many troops and weapons will be withdrawn. He said Russia will continue “fighting international terrorism in Syria” and supporting Mr Assad’s military.
Mr Putin also said that the Russian military will maintain its presence at both an air base in Syria’s coastal province of Latakia and the naval facility in the port of Tartus.
Turkey’s foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has also called on Hezbollah to withdraw its fighters from Syria.
Syria’s foreign minister Walid al-moallem said that fighters from more than 80 countries have joined insurgent groups trying to remove Mr Assad from power, while the Syrian government is backed by fighters from countries including Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan and Russia.
The Turkish minister said all foreign fighters should withdraw from Syria.