The leaders of Russia and Turkey on Monday announced that a deep demilitarized zone will be established in Syria’s Idlib region, the last bastion of anti-government rebels where fears had been high of a devastating offensive by government forces.
MOSCOW — The leaders of Russia and Turkey on Monday announced that a deep demilitarized zone will be established in Syria’s Idlib region, the last bastion of anti-government rebels where fears had been high of a devastating offensive by government forces.
The zone will be established by Oct. 15 and be 9-12 miles deep, President Vladimir Putin said at the end of a more than three-hour meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
« I believe that with this agreement we prevented a humanitarian crisis in Idlib, » Erdogan said at a joint briefing with Putin in Sochi.
The province of Idlib in the country’s northwest is the last stronghold of Syrian rebels, and Turkey has been eager to prevent a government assault.
Russia has called Idlib a hotbed of terrorism and had said the Syrian government has the right to retake control of it. Turkey appealed to Russia and Iran, its uneasy negotiating partners, for a diplomatic resolution. At the same time, it has sent reinforcements to its troops ringing Idlib, a move designed to ward off a ground assault, at least for now.
Asked whether Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government agreed with the Putin-Erdogan plan, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told reporters in Sochi that « in the coming hours, we will agree with them on all the positions put forth in this document. »
Putin said the demilitarized zone would be enforced by patrols of Turkish forces and Russian military police.
It was quiet in Idlib and surrounding areas Monday, a continuation of the calm that started less than a week ago amid Russia-Turkey talks.
Idlib and surrounding areas is home to more than 3 million Syrians, and an estimated 60,000 rebel fighters.
JIM HEINTZ
