Syria de-escalation zones to help consolidate ceasefire - Putin

BEIJING, May 15. /TASS/. The establishment of the de-escalation zones in Syria is aimed primarily at consolidating the cessation of hostilities, the reconciliation process in that country is impossible without that, Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters on Monday. "I hope very much that this (the creation of de-escalation zones) will be an effective tool, above all, for maintaining the cessation of hostilities," Putin said. He noted that it is essential now to consolidate the ceasefire, which will be the basis for the subsequent political process. "If the situation evolves in accordance with this scenario, it will be possible to say that we are attaining the goals that have been set. "However, any effective political process, as we all understand, is out of the question without the ceasefire," the Russian leader added. Putin thanked Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev for providing a negotiation venue in Astana where the parties were able to reach an agreement on setting up de-escalation zones in Syria. "However, at the moment it is necessary, and we will be doing that at military level at a meeting in Istanbul or in Ankara. Russia, Iran and Turkey will discuss, naturally, while maintaining permanent dialogue with the Syrian side, the specific boundaries of these de-escalation zones and control elements - how, where and who will control and what," the Russian president said, adding that these specific issues are up for discussion. "So far, it is early to talk about that in public," Putin noted. Memorandum on de-escalation zones On May 3-4, Kazakhstan’s capital of Astana hosted the fourth high-level international meeting on Syria. The countries acting as ceasefire guarantors - Russia, Turkey and Iran - signed a memorandum on setting up four de-escalation zones in Syria. According to Russia’s chief negotiator and Presidential Envoy on the Syrian Settlement, Alexander Lavrentiev, these zones are being established for a period of six months with the possibility of automatic extension for the same period. The de-escalation zones are to be set up in four regions of Syria, namely, in the Idlib province and some parts of the neighboring provinces (Aleppo, Latakia and Hama), the area north of Homs, East Ghouta and some provinces in Syria’s southern parts - Daraa and Quneitra. A ban on military operations, including aviation flights, was imposed in the de-escalation zones as of May 6. Read more