Syrian opposition: “The regime’s war crimes and violations “have not stopped since the signing of the agreement” on December 30 for ceasefire.


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UPDATE 1530 GMT: Rebels in the opposition delegation at the Astana talks have issued their final statement, explaining the suspension of their involvement.

The rebels said they were “surprised by the dangerous escalation” of pro-Assad bombing and ground attacks “leading to the fall of many civilian victims”, making it “imperative” to end participation in the political process.

They said it was impossible to accept any agreement that did not abide by UN resolutions since 2012, and repeated the demands for an end to sieges, release of political detainees, creation of conditions for a “safe and voluntary return” of refugees.

The statement emphasized that any agreement must also avoid any partition of Syria and ensure the departure of all Iranian-led militias.

Opposition delegate Osama Abu Zaid rejected the Russian proposal for buffer zones monitored by Russian, Iranian, and Turkish forces:

We want Syria to maintain its integrity.

We are against the division of Syria. As for the agreements, we are not a party to that agreement and of course we will never be in favor as long as Iran is called a guarantor state.

Yasser Rahim of the Failaq al-Sham rebel factions calls Iran “criminals” and walks out of the Astana session:

Russian envoyAlexander Lavrentiev maintained that the “de-escalation zones” — agreed by Russia, Turkey, and Iran — would proceed: “The Syrian Foreign Ministry has stated that the leadership of that country welcomes the agreements on creating de-escalation zones and ceases its aviation flights over them.”

Lavrentiev added that, from May 6, “we will naturally cease combat operations on this territory but only if no efforts are taken from the territory of de-escalation zones to destabilize the situation on the country’s other territories”.

However, he warned, “Further observance of the ceasefire will largely depend directly on armed opposition formations staying in de-escalation zones and also on terrorist organizations, first of all, Jabhat al-Nusra, whose presence on these territories is quite considerable.”

The US State Department said that it supports de-escalation efforts; however, spokeswoman Heather Nauert continued:

We continue to have concerns about the Astana agreement, including the involvement of Iran as a so-called ‘guarantor’.

Iran’s activities in Syria have only contributed to the violence, not stopped it, and Iran’s unquestioning support for the Assad regime has perpetuated the misery of ordinary Syrians. In light of the failures of past agreements, we have reason to be cautious.

We expect the regime to stop all attacks on civilians and opposition forces, something they have never done. We expect Russia to ensure regime compliance. We nonetheless hope that this arrangement can contribute to a de-escalation of violence, end the suffering of the Syrian people, and set stage for a political settlement. We look forward to continuing our dialogue with Russia on efforts to responsibly end Syria conflict.


ORIGINAL ENTRY: Syria’s opposition has suspended its participation in ongoing political talks, citing ongoing regime “war crimes”.

The opposition said on Wednesday that it was leaving the indirect discussions, brokered by Russia and Turkey, in the Kazkhstan capital Astana.

“The delegation has suspended its participation after presenting a memorandum for a total commitment to stopping bombardments,” said Ahmad Ramadan, a spokesman for the Syrian National Coalition.

On arrival in Astana, the opposition delegation reaffirmed its commitment to a ceasefire declared by Russia, Turkey, and Iran on December 30. However, it noted that “the regime’s war crimes and violations” — including intensive Russian bombing in support of Damascus — “have not stopped since the signing of the agreement”, citing “using all kinds of internationally banned weapons and targeting civilians, with the systematic intention to destroy hospitals and medical centres, Civil Defence centres, and all essential human services”.

A 10-point set of demands called for an end to air and ground attacks; the departure of President Assad; removal of all Iranian-led militias from Syria; aid to besieged areas; reparations to civilians; and withdrawal from territory occupied since December 30, including al-Wa’er in Homs and Wadi Barada, Moadamiya, and Zabadani in Damascus Province.

Before the walkout, Russia had proposed “four de-escalation zones” in Idlib Province, Homs Province, East Ghouta near Damascus, and the south of Syria. But Russian media said the Kremlin envisaged that the zones would be monitored on the ground by troops from not only Russia and Turkey but also Iran, a condition unlikely to be considered by the opposition.

Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly discussed the initiative with Donald Trump on Tuesday, and he met Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan yesterday.

Putin and Erdoğan supported the safe zones idea at a joint news conference, with the Russian President declaring, “We all take the view that we need to…create mechanisms that would guarantee a cessation of bloodshed and create the conditions for the start of a political dialogue. In this respect our position and that of the Turkish president totally coincide.”

Russia’s lead negotiator in Astana, Alexander Lavrentiev, dismissed the opposition’s suspension as a bid to put pressure on Moscow, Ankara and Tehran, and said that he hoped the memorandum on safe zones would be signed on Thursday: “The Syrian opposition must participate in the talks. We hope common sense prevails.”

UN envoy Staffan de Mistura also expressed hope of agreement on de-escalation:

Every time – every time – we have been having a meeting or a discussion about cessation of hostilities or de-escalation in this case, there have been some incidents produced by one side or the other. The secret is to try to make sure that those incidents stop but also do not kill the opportunity for good news related to that.

Political talks in Astana and Geneva were renewed in January, with intermediaries moving between the regime and opposition delegations. There has been no significant progress in three months, with the nominal ceasefire immediately broken by pro-Assad attacks and President Assad rejecting any transitional process in which he leaves power.

TOP PHOTO: The opposition-rebel delegation at the Astana political talks, January 2017 (Mukhtar Kholdorbekov/Reuters)


Bombing Near Opposition HQ Kills 5 in Azaz

A bombing near the headquarters of the opposition’s Interim Government has killed five people in Azaz, in northwest Syria near the Turkish border.

The opposition Syrian National Coalition said “many more” people were wounded.

The Coalition said in a statement:

This terrorist attack is clearly aimed at hindering efforts by the Syrian people to rebuild their country.

The bombing serves the goal the regime and terrorist groups share which is to undermine efforts to set up an administration at all levels and to restore infrastructure and public institutions.


Videos: Child Killed, nine Injured in Bombing of Refugee Camp

A child was killed and nine people wounded on Wednesday in a missile strike — reportedly by a regime drone — of a camp for displaced Syrians near Darkoush, close to the Turkish border, with dozens of tents set on fire.

The blaze burned 90% of the camp and left more than 200 families with nowhere to shelter. They sought refuge in nearby camps or under trees in an olive grove.

“Thank God we got through the night—but it was very, very difficult,” said one displaced person, Abu Khaled. “We just have the clothes on our backs. There’s no safe place left for people,”