24 June, 2017
Iranian, Russian and Turkish personnel will be deployed in parts of Syria as part of a de-escalation agreement brokered by Russia last month, Turkish broadcasters quoted President Tayyip Erdogan's spokesman as saying on Thursday. Washington has been seeking a bilateral agreement with Russian Federation on creating a zone in southwestern Syria, an area that borders US allies Israel and Jordan.
In the interview with BBC, Ilian Masaad, the leader of the Syrian opposition group, said the discussion of invitation of the Kazakh and Kyrgyz troops could not take place without the consent of Damascus, as it concerns the sovereignty of the country and guarantees from Russian Federation. "Currently, talks are underway on where our soldiers will be present, their number and with whom particularly they will work", he said.
"As you know, dec-escalation zones were established in four main locations in Syria after President [Recep Tayyip] Erdoğan's meeting with Russian President [Vladimir] Putin in Sochi on May 3".
The Syrian government will not allow its enemies to benefit from the creation of de-escalation zones in western Syria, the Syrian deputy foreign minister has said, ahead of worldwide talks on the zones scheduled for early July in Kazakhstan.
The United States has said there are reasons to be sceptical about the de-escalation zones agreed in Astana. The memorandum was concluded for six months and can be extended automatically.
Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011 when Bashar Assad's regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests, which erupted as part of the Arab Spring uprisings. "To ensure ceasefire, more forces of the guarantor-countries will be deployed".
