Russia: Syria deal bans US-led coalition aircraft

The establishment of safe zones is the latest worldwide attempt to reduce violence amid a six-year civil war that has left more than 400,000 dead, and is the first to envisage armed foreign monitors on the ground in Syria.

“We can’t imagine Iran playing a role of peace”, Abo Zayd said.

But there are also worrisome flaws that could doom the deal to the same fate as its predecessors.

The details of the plan remain incredibly vague.

The signing took place during the plenary session of the Astana 4 meeting held in Kazakh’s capital of Astana with the participation of the delegation of the Syrian Arab Republic headed by Bashar al-Jaafari and other delegations.

Russia, Turkey and Iran are to enforce the zones, but Russian general staff official Col. -Gen. But the opposition reacted harshly, blasting the deal as lacking legitimacy.

That arrangement was suspended last month after the U.S. Tomahawk missile barrage on a Syrian air base, fired in response to a deadly chemical gas attack in Syria that was blamed on Assad’s government.

Guterres “is encouraged by the agreement…to de-escalate violence in key areas in Syria”, his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, said in a statement on May 4.

“The two sides, the Syrian government and most of the opposition were present, and this will have a positive effect on the Geneva talks, but under condition that the agreement will operate”.

The agreement provides for a ceasefire, a ban on all flights, rapid deliveries of humanitarian aid to the designated areas and the return of refugees.

“All incidents of violations in the de-escalation zones in Syria will be probed into and decisions on retaliation measures against violators, including through fire suppression, will be taken after such investigations”, he said. The zones are set in provinces of Idlib, Latakia and Homs, as well as parts of Aleppo. The fourth covers a front-line area in the south near the border with Jordan. “As for the agreements, we are not a party to that agreement and of course we will never be in favour (of it) as long as Iran is called a guarantor state”, Abu Zaid said. Observation points will monitor the cease-fire in the region.

Alexander Lavrentyev’s comments Friday come a day after talks in Kazakhstan, where Russia, Iran and Turkey agreed to establish the zones in Syria.

The nationwide Syrian ceasefire regime was introduced on December 30, 2016, with Russia, Iran and Turkey serving as its guarantors. The deal says other nations could join as needed. Iran has also backed Assad and helped his forces fight opponents.

The dominant Syrian Kurdish groups and their allies aim to deepen their autonomy through establishing a new system of federal government in the north. Rebel factions often express particular hatred for the Iranians and could target their forces.

He said the Shiite-majority country is fuelling the sectarian nature of the conflict and “Iran can’t play the role of a peace maker”.

The ministry says in a statement on Thursday that the agreement noted efforts to “end all use of weapons, including by aircrafts between clashing parties” and ensure the flow of humanitarian aid.