Syria: the regime and the rebels announce an agreement in the south

Deraa (Syria) – The Syrian government and rebels in southern Syria have reached an agreement to end the devastating regime's offensive since June 19 in the province of Deraa, the "cradle" of the anti-Assad revolt.
  

This agreement, which concerns only the province of Deraa according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH), was obtained in the city of Bousra al-Cham after lengthy negotiations between Russians –allies of the regime- and rebel factions in the aftermath of a fire that forced the insurgents to resume talks.

" An agreement was reached between the Syrian government and the terrorist groups ," the official Sana news agency reported, using the term " terrorists " to refer to all groups fighting the regime.

This provides for the " entry into force of a ceasefire and the surrender by terrorist groups of their heavy and medium weapons in all towns and cities ", according to Sana .

Those " who refuse this settlement will leave for (the province of) Idleb with their families ," the agency said, a condition on which the rebel factions had insisted.

On the other hand, the displaced will be able to return home, according to the same source.

The regime's military offensive has left at least 325,000 displaced, according to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

On Thursday, Russia prevented the adoption of a UN statement focused on humanitarian aid to the people of Deraa.

Pursuant to the agreement reached on Friday night, state institutions will resume their work in the region and " the Syrian state will take control of all positions at the hands of rebels along the border jordanienne ", according to the agency Sana.

In a statement, rebel groups confirmed the existence of an agreement " to spare the blood of the south ", while calling for UN oversight for its implementation.

The spokesman of the rebel command, Hussein Abazeed, told AFP that this agreement was " the best option possible to spare the blood of insurgent fighters ".

The province of Deraa is bordering Jordan and described as the " cradle " of the revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2011. The war in Syria broke out after the repression of prodemocracy protests by the regime.

– " Very Symbolic " –

A few hours before the announcement of an agreement, Russian servicemen and Syrian officials of the border administration arrived " without any fight "at the strategic border post of Nbadib, told AFP the director of the OSDH, Rami Abdel Rahman.

The Sana agency reported that the Syrian flag " was hoisted at the Nbadib post " on the Jordanian border, whose rebels took control in 2015. [19659003] " Deraa is very symbolic for Assad because it is the cradle of the Syrian revolution, while (the resumption of) Nbadib will push the Jordanians to invest for a return of the regime in the south-west to saw the benefits of the resumption of trade with Syria ", told AFP Nicholas Heras, researcher at the Center for a New American Security.

After resuming control of rebel areas around Damascus in recent months – as in eastern Ghouta, where he was accused of crimes against humanity by the UN – the Syrian regime had turned to Deraa, one of the last rebel strongholds.

He led, with his Russian ally, a grounded strategy combining deadly bombings and negotiations for agreements known as " reconciliation " which are similar to capitulations.

More than 30 localities in the province of Deraa had already been under regime control in recent weeks under agreements with some rebel factions. This allowed Damascus to negotiate in a position of strength, with nearly 70% of the province in hand against 30% before the offensive.

According to Rebel Command spokesman Hussein Abazeed, Friday night's agreement provides for the safe transfer of at least 6,000 people – combatants and civilians – to Idleb province (north of West, still under insurgent control

According to rebel sources, Moscow had previously rejected a progressive abandonment of heavy weapons by insurgents and any transfer of population.

The province of Deraa had been the subject of a cease -fire last year, under an agreement between the United States, Russia and Jordan.

The offensive of the regime of Bashar al-Assad, who ignored it, killed 150 civilians in less than three weeks

In Bsayra, a town in Deir Ezzor province, in eastern Syria, 18 people, including 11 Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) members, were killed on Friday by explosion of a car bomb in front of a headquarters of this coalition of Arab and Kurdish fighters from the United States, said the OSDH. The attack was not claimed.