The seventh round of political and military talks over Syria’s 79-month conflict opened Monday in the Kazakhstan capital Astana.
The sponsors of the talks — Russia, Turkey, and Iran — were joined by delegations from the Assad regime and from the opposition and rebels. The two sides will still not meet directly, but will be in contact with the three powers.
The main topic of the latest discussions, which began in January, are further development of a plan for four “de-escalation zones” across eight of Syria’s 14 provinces — one covering all of opposition-held Idlib Province in northwest Syria and parts of neighboring Hama, Latakia, and Aleppo Provinces; one for opposition-held Damascus suburbs; one for northern Homs Province; and one for southwest Syria near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
Russia and Turkey have promoted the zones, even though the Russians carried out some bombing of rebels in Idlib this autumn. Iran has been reluctant to support what can be seen as a short-term partition of Syria, criticizing the Turks for infringing Syrian sovereignty.
Earlier this month, as Russia’s airstrikes on Idlib eased, Turkey moved some personnel into Idlib, not only as part of the plan to monitor the zone but also to establish a frontline with the Kurdish canton of Afrin.
Meanwhile, the Assad regime has continued to fume over any de-escalation, continuing attacks on the Damascus suburbs, with dozens of people killed in the past week.
Sources in Astana said discussions would also be held on the release of hostages and political prisoners, food and aid to areas besieged by the regime, the transfer of dead bodies, and the search for missing persons.
The opposition has demanded an end to sieges and the release of detainees since the Astana talks began, but the Assad regime has refused both. Bashar al-Assad has also emphasized that he will not give up power as part of a political transition.
Aid Convoy Finally Allowed into Besieged East Ghouta
As the talks opened, an aid convoy from the UN and Syrian Arab Red Crescent finally entered towns in East Ghouta near Damascus, where residents are at risk of malnutrition and even starvation because of a protracted, intensifying siege by the Assad regime.
In the first convoy since June 2016, 49 trucks delivered food and supplies for about 40,000 people on Monday in areas such as Kafr Batna and Saqba.
The @UN & @SYRedCrescent entered #KafraBatna & #Saqba in besieged #EastGhouta with humanitarian assistance for 40,000 people in need #Syria pic.twitter.com/mjiNnVnyQK
— OCHA Syria (@OCHA_Syria) October 30, 2017
The regime tightened the 4-year siege on East Ghouta with the seizure of smuggling tunnels in March and with the closure in July of the last checkpoint where a black-market trade was allowed. It has repeatedly refused permission for assistance and has continued shelling of Douma, Kafr Batna, and other areas.
Doctors in East Ghouta say that cases of malnutrition and associated ailments are rising, with one person dying each day as a result of the siege. The UN children’s agency UNICEF said at least 1,200 children are suffering from malnutrition, with 1,500 others at risk.
Bettina Luescher, a spokeswoman of the UN World Food Programme, said Monday’s convoy carried nutrition supplies for 16,000 children.