GENEVA: Russia and Turkey plan to give more time for the implementation of their de-escalation deal in the Syrian province of Idlib, a “great relief” for 3 million civilians in the area, UN humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland told reporters on Thursday.
But there were still “a million unanswered questions” about how the deal would work, and what would happen if groups designated as terrorists refused to lay down their weapons.
Speaking after a regular Syria humanitarian meeting in Geneva, Egeland said Syria’s ally Russia had confirmed that Damascus had scrapped a “very concerning” law allowing the expropriation of land and property from refugees.
Idlib and adjacent areas are the last stronghold of rebels who rose up against President Bashar al Assad in 2011, and the UN has warned that a battle to restore Assad’s control over the zone could be the worst of the seven-year-old war.
Turkey and Russia’s deal set up a buffer zone running 15-20 km deep into rebel territory that originally had to be free of heavy weapons and militants by Monday.
“There will be more time for diplomacy,” Egeland said.
“I was heartened to hear both Russia and Turkey say they are optimistic, they can achieve much more through negotiations, and they are generally very positive on the implementation of this deal which is giving a relief, a pause in fighting, to Idlib.”
Egeland said there were 12,000 humanitarian workers in the area, and Idlib had now gone five weeks without an air raid, something he could not remember in the past three years.
In the east, however, fighting was raging around several villages inhabited by 15,000 people, including IS fighters and their families.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that IS militants had seized nearly 700 hostages in part of Syria controlled by US-backed forces and had executed some of them and promised to kill more.
Speaking in the Black Sea resort city of Sochi, Putin said the hostages included several US and European nationals, adding that IS was expanding its control in territory on the left bank of the River Euphrates controlled by US and US-backed forces.
Putin did not specify what the militants’ demands were.
“They have issued ultimatums, specific demands and warned that if these ultimatums are not met they will execute 10 people every day. The day before yesterday they executed 10 people,” Putin told the Valdai discussion forum in Sochi. — Reuters
Oman Observer is now on the WhatsApp channel. Click here
