Russia, Iran, Turkey back Syria pact

Three nations put weight behind rebel-government accord

BEIRUT — Russia, Iran and Turkey are ready to act as guarantors to a future settlement between the Syrian government and the opposition, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday, as hundreds more residents left the opposition’s last foothold in eastern Aleppo.

The announcement from Moscow underscored Turkey’s position as a key broker in the Syria conflict, after it mediated last week’s agreement with Russia to have the opposition surrender its presence in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city.

The United States was notably absent from the meeting between the foreign ministers of Turkey, Russia, and Iran.

Moscow is a staunch ally of Syrian President Bashar Assad, while Ankara sponsors the rebels seeking to topple him.

The talks in the Russian capital were a sign that the two countries wanted to keep their ties on track after the dramatic assassination of Russia’s ambassador to Turkey the previous night by an Ankara policeman. After killing his victim, the shooter cried out, “Don’t forget Aleppo! Don’t forget Syria!” — a reference to Moscow’s role in backing Syria’s assault on the city politically and militarily with airstrikes.

In Aleppo, a fleet of buses entered east Aleppo again Tuesday afternoon to evacuate the remaining rebels and civilians from the city, activists said.

Opposition media activist Ahmad Primo said the fleet could well be the last one to leave the city. He spoke to the Associated Press from the Rashideen crossing between government and rebel-held territory in the Aleppo countryside. Primo estimated 2,000 people remain awaiting evacuation.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 60 buses were sent to pick up 3,000 gunmen and civilians remaining.

Residents from eastern Aleppo and the Syrian opposition say the evacuation amounts to forced displacement. Months of devastating Syrian and Russian air raids that destroyed buildings, hospitals and schools in the enclave left the residents with little choice but to flee their homes.