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WORLD NEWS A9
Saturday 6 May 2017
Russia-backed Syrian safe zones plan goes into effect
By SARAH EL DEEB the crowded airspace over Col. Gen. Sergei Rudskoi of the Russian General Staff, speaks to the media in the Defense Ministry
LYNN BERRY Syria. The deal calls for all in Moscow, Russia, Friday, May 5, 2017. Russia’s military says the agreement setting up four de-
Associated Press aircraft to be banned from escalation zones in Syria will go into effect at midnight. The military also says the deal, which was
BEIRUT (AP) — A deal ham- flying over the safe zones. signed by Russia, Iran and Turkey in Kazakhstan the day before, could be extended to more areas
mered out by Russia, Tur- Syrian, Russian, Turkish and of the war-torn country.
key and Iran to set up “de- U.S.-led coalition aircraft
escalation zones” in mostly operate in different, some- (AP Photo/Pavel Golovkin)
opposition-held parts of times same areas in Syria.
Syria went into effect in the It is not yet clear how the zones. An official with Rus- and Turkey will operate movement of unarmed
early hours of Saturday. new plan would affect sia’s military general staff checkpoints and observa- civilians and humanitarian
The plan is the latest in- flightpaths of U.S.-led co- said other countries may tion posts. He said “security aid and will facilitate eco-
ternational attempt to re- alition warplanes battling eventually have a role in belts” will be created along nomic activities, he said.
duce violence in the war- Islamic State militants and enforcing the de-escala- the borders of the “de-es- Rebels have expressed
ravaged country, and is other radical groups — tion areas. calation zones” to prevent concerns the deal is a pre-
the first to envisage armed and whether the American Russian Col.-Gen. Sergei incidents and fighting be- lude to a de facto parti-
foreign monitors on the air force would abide by a Rudskoi told reporters on tween opposing sides. The tioning of Syria into spheres
ground in Syria. The United diminished air space. Friday personnel and for- checkpoints and observa- of influence.
States is not party to the Russia and Iran — two of mations from Russia, Iran tion posts will ensure free
agreement and the Syrian the plan’s three sponsors — Continued on page 27
rivals have not signed on to are key allies of President
the deal. The armed oppo- Bashar Assad’s govern-
sition, instead, was highly ment and both are viewed
critical of the proposal, as foreign occupation forc-
saying it lacks legitimacy. es by his opponents. Reb-
The plan, details of which els fighting to topple Assad
will still be worked out over are enraged by Iran’s role
the next several weeks, in the deal and blame the
went into effect at mid- Shiite power for fueling the
night Friday. There were sectarian nature of Syria’s
limited reports of bomb- conflict, now in its seventh
ing in northern Homs and year.
Hama, two areas expect- Turkey, the third sponsor, is
ed to be part of the “de- a major backer of opposi-
escalation zones,” activists tion factions and has also
said. There were no imme- sent troops into northern
diate reports of casualties. Syria, drawing the ire of
It is not clear how the Assad and his government.
cease-fire or “de-escala- Yet troops from the three
tion zones” will be enforced countries are now ex-
in areas still to be deter- pected to secure four safe
mined in maps to emerge
a month from now. Iraq PM: No US combat troops to stay in Iraq after IS
Russian officials said it will
be at least another month By QASSIM ZAHRA talks about keeping U.S. Iraq’s security forces to ignated as advisers for the
until the details are worked Associated Press troops in Iraq were ongo- maintain “full readiness” for same reason, the Iraqi gov-
out and the safe areas es- BAGHDAD (AP) — U.S. ing. The U.S. official empha- any “future security chal- ernment official had told
tablished. combat troops will not stay sized that discussions were lenges.” the AP.
In the tangled mess that on in Iraq after the fight in early stages and that While some U.S. forces are Regardless of how the
constitutes Syria’s battle- against the Islamic State “nothing has been final- carrying out combat op- troops are designated,
fields, there is much that group is over, Iraq’s Prime ized.” Both officials spoke erations with Iraqi forces on talks about maintaining
can go wrong with the Minister said Friday — a on condition of anonymity and beyond front lines in American forces in Iraq
plan, agreed on in talks statement that followed an in line with regulations. the fight against IS, al-Aba- point to a consensus by
Thursday in Kazakhstan. Associated Press report on In his statement, Haider al- di has maintained that the both governments that a
There is no clear mecha- talks between Iraq and the Abadi emphasized that forces are acting only as longer-term U.S. presence
nism to resolve conflict United States on maintain- there are no foreign com- advisers, apparently to get in Iraq is needed to ensure
and violations— like most ing American forces in the bat troops on Iraqi soil and around a required parlia- that an insurgency does
other previous deals struck country. that any American troops mentary approval for their not bubble up again once
by backers of the warring A U.S. official and an official who stay on once IS mili- presence. IS militants are driven out
sides. from the Iraqi government tants are defeated will be Any forces who remained — a contrast to the full U.S.
A potential complication told the AP this week that advisers working to train would continue to be des- withdrawal in 2011.q
to implementing the plan is
