Government Agrees to Eastern Ghouta Cease-Fire

The Syrian government agreed on Tuesday to a Russian-proposed cease-fire in the besieged Eastern Ghouta suburbs of Damascus, after weeks of heavy fighting in the rebel-held area, Al Jazeera reported.

The United Nations special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, announced the Syrian government’s decision from Geneva, where he held meetings with the Syrian opposition ahead of the start of the eighth round of peace talks.

“Russia has proposed and the government has accepted a cease-fire in Eastern Ghouta,” he said. “Now we need to see whether this [cease-fire] takes place, but it is not coincidental that this was actually proposed and agreed upon just the day of the beginning of this session [in Geneva],” he added.

Russia suggested the two-day cease-fire in the area, which has been designated a so-called de-escalation zone, on Monday. More than 147 people have been killed by airstrikes and shelling in Eastern Ghouta since pro-government forces, backed by Russian warplanes, launched an offensive nearly two weeks ago to reclaim one of the last rebel strongholds near Damascus.

At least three people were killed and 15 others wounded in shelling in Eastern Ghouta on Tuesday, shortly before de Mistura said the government had accepted the cease-fire, according to Reuters.

Meanwhile, a convoy carrying food and medical aid entered the area on Tuesday, hours before de Mistura announced the cease-fire, Agence France-Presse reported. Citing the U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, AFP said that a convoy had entered “the Nashabieh town in besieged East Ghouta to deliver food, health and nutrition items for 7,200 people in need.”

Peace Talks Open in Geneva

The eighth round of peace talks opened in Geneva on Tuesday with a meeting between the Syrian opposition and the U.N. special envoy for Syria, the Associated Press reported.

However, the Syrian government was absent from the talks after the delegation delayed its participation by one day.

The pro-Syrian government newspaper al-Watan said on Monday that the delegation postponed its departure to Geneva because the government was annoyed by a statement released last week by the opposition insisting on President Bashar al-Assad’s departure before the start of a political transition.

De Mistura confirmed to the AP on Tuesday that the Syrian government’s delegation had agreed to attend on Wednesday. Syrian state news agency SANA also reported that the government would arrive one day late to talks, according to Reuters.

“Now we need to go into business,” de Mistura told the AP.

Turkey Suggests Expansion in Northwest Syria

Turkey on Tuesday proposed an expansion of its zone of operations in northwest Syria to include the regions of Aleppo and Afrin, Reuters reported.

Turkish troops have deployed to observation posts in Idlib province since Ankara launched a cross-border campaign in Syria last month, with the aim of enforcing a so-called de-escalation zone in the insurgent-held province.

“It’s been considered that the observation mission of the Turkish armed forces in the Idlib de-escalation zone is continuing successfully,” Turkey’s National Security Council said in a statement. “[A]nd such a mission being performed near Western Aleppo and Afrin would provide a real environment of peace and safety,” the statement added.

Beyond enforcing a de-escalation zone, Turkey’s operations in northwest Syria are primarily aimed at deterring Kurdish forces based in Afrin. Ankara has deployed in positions adjacent to the Kurdish canton in an attempt to prevent Kurdish expansion in the area.

Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan said earlier this month that Ankara needed to clear Afrin of the Kurdish YPG militia as military operations in Idlib are largely complete.

Recommended Reads

• The Christian Science Monitor: Moment of Truth for a Syrian Peace
• CNN: How U.S. Indifference Cleared the Way for Assad’s Victory in Syria
• The Guardian: The Guardian View on Syria: Putin Tests the West
• BBC: Trumplomacy: Under-Fire Tillerson’s Quiet Diplomacy in Syria
• The Financial Times: Vladimir Putin Won the Syria War, But Can He Keep the Peace?