Turkish-russian deal in Idlib gets positive reception
BEIRUT — Both Syria’s government and its opposition welcomed the Turkey-russia deal declaring a demilitarized zone around the major rebel stronghold Idlib, saying Tuesday that the agreement stemmed more bloodshed.
Still, the government vowed to keep up its campaign against “terrorism,” either militarily or with reconciliation deals.
Syria’s armed opposition said the Idlib arrangement is a victory for its resistance and will improve its standing after crushing military defeats in recent months elsewhere in the country.
Idlib is home to 3 million residents and around 60,000 fighters, including some of the world’s most radical. Some estimates put the number of radical fighters at about 10,000, who are in control of nearly 70 percent of the enclave. The deal aims to end their presence in Idlib.
Some of the militants called supporters of the deal “traitors,” warning that it is likely to end with indiscriminate violence.
Such divergent views presaged the challenges that lie ahead in implementing the first-of-its-kind deal. Already, details coming out of Damascus and Ankara appeared to differ, raising concerns about how it would be implemented.
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said the demilitarized zone is to be established by Oct. 15 and be 9 to 12 miles deep to separate Syrian forces and the rebels, with radical groups withdrawn from the area.
The zone will have troops from Russia and Nato-member Turkey conducting coordinated patrols to monitor the demilitarization and restore traffic to the highway linking major Syrian cities that passes through Idlib.
The opposition fighters are to give up their heavy weapons, mortars and tanks by Oct. 10, Putin said.
Idlib is the last rebel-held corner of Syria.
In declaring the agreement Monday, the Russian and Turkish leaders didn’t mention restoring the Syrian government’s authority in Idlib.
Such a proposition threatens to undermine the agreement, which was put in place in the absence of a political solution.