Islam Times - UN Chief Welcomes Syria De-escalation Zones

Islam Times - The UN Secretary-General commended the memorandum on security or de-escalation zones in Syria that guarantor states Russia, Turkey and Iran agreed upon at the Astana peace talks.

He said he was “encouraged by the agreement today in Astana, Kazakhstan, by guarantor countries Iran, Russia and Turkey to de-escalate violence in key areas in Syria.” He welcomed “the commitments to ceasing the use of all weapons, particularly aerial assets; to rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access; and to creating conditions for the delivery of medical aid and meeting civilians’ basic needs.”

Earlier, the UN special envoy on Syria praised the deal as “an important, promising, positive step in the right direction in the process of de-escalation of the conflict.”

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia cautiously welcomed the agreement, saying that “we are for having the stabilization zones” but that need to see more details.

Representatives of the Syrian government and the Syrian opposition were brought to the negotiation table that was also attended by US and Jordanian observers.