Syrian opposition, Russia fail to agree on cease-fire
Syrian armed opposition and Russian officials met in Daraa
The Syrian armed opposition said on Wednesday that talks aimed at a comprehensive cease-fire in Daraa, and Quneitra, in southern Syria, ended with no result.
The opposition Syrian Negotiations Commission (SNC) told Anadolu Agency that the two sides met in Daraa Wednesday and discussed a potential cease-fire in Daraa and Quneitra.
The SNC said Russia refused that Syrian regime forces and Iran-backed militias withdraw from captured areas in order to let displaced people pass through.
In the last several days, Daraa has been the target of intense air and ground attacks by the Bashar al-Assad regime and its allies, who have advanced deep into Daraa’s eastern countryside, capturing the towns of Busra al-Harir and Nahtah.
Over 100 civilians have been killed and thousands displaced since the regime offensive began two weeks ago.
Following peace talks held last year in Kazakh capital Astana, Daraa was designated a “de-escalation zone” in which acts of aggression are expressly prohibited.
Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.
