Syria peace talks focussed on ceasefire on first day. Turkey, Russia and Iran agree on a three-way joint mechanism to monitor Syrian ceasefire violations
The first day of “productive” peace talks here aimed at ending the Syrian war ended Monday with both sides focused on hashing out “a permanent cease-fire”, representatives said.
A joint delegation that included Turkish, Russian and the UN representatives met Syrian opposition representatives who submitted a written statement that listed demands for ending violations by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and support groups of a cease-fire. They also want humanitarian aid to reach besieged areas, clearing Syria of Iranian soldiers and militias backed by Tehran and the release of female political prisoners.
The Syrian regime is accused of imprisoning as many as 13,000 women, and the opposition delegation demanded their immediate release.
“After the opening session, we held a productive meeting with the Russian and the Turkish sides, with the presence and coordination of the UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura,” opposition spokesman at the talks, Yahya al-Aridi, said at a news conference.
The main focus of discussions was to make permanent a cease-fire that took effect Dec. 30. That deal was brokered by Turkey, which backs the opposition, and Russia and Iran, who support the Assad regime.
Turkey, Russia and Iran agree to monitor ceasefire violations
The tripartite mechanism is expected to be included in the final declarationi which willbe released at the end of the talks.
Turkey, Russia and Iran have worked closely on the Syria crisis, brokering a national ceasefire that came into effect on December 30 and arranging for the evacuation of the besieged Aleppo.
