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BEIRUT (AP) – Syrian President Bashar Assad said on Sunday that the Russian-Turkish agreement to avoid a military offensive in Idlib province, in the north-west of the country, was a "temporary agreement". "preventing the bloodshed, but that the goal of his government is to restore control over all Syria.
His comments were made at a meeting of the Central Committee of the ruling Arab Socialist Party, al-Baath.
The Syrian rebel coordination group, backed by Turkey, announced on Sunday that it had begun to implement the agreement reached between Russia and Turkey on the demilitarization of front lines between government forces Syrian and opposition in the province of Idlib.
Naji al-Mustafa, spokesman for the 15-member National Front for Liberation, said on Sunday that the groups had unanimously agreed to implement the agreement reached last month and were planning to Demilitarize 15 to 20 kilometers along the front lines by October. 15
He added that rebel forces began withdrawing their heavy weapons from the demilitarized zone a day earlier, after Turkish troops had reinforced the area to monitor the violations. He added that opposition forces would maintain their forward bases and light and medium weapons.
"Our forces will remain on the front lines in defense positions armed with light and medium weapons," said al-Mustafa. "The heavy weapons were mostly back in our bases, so the factions will be ready to fight in those areas in case of emergency."
The largest armed group in Idlib, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a member of the Levant Arab Liberation Committee and linked to al-Qaeda, has not indicated whether he would comply with the law. # 39; agreement.
The Turkey-Russia agreement also provides for the withdrawal of all members of Syrian radical groups from the demilitarized zone. We do not know if they agreed to move.
In his comments Sunday, Assad described as "hysterical" the opposition of the West to an offensive in Idlib, adding that a military victory of the Syrian government over this affair loomed. would have thwarted. The Syrian government accuses Western countries of trying to divide Syria and support terrorist groups.
He said Syria was now moving towards "the battle" to rehabilitate segments of society that supported what he called "chaos and terrorism". He did not elaborate.
The government, supported by Russia, has passed a series of so-called reconciliation agreements with former rebels, in which they surrender their weapons and accept the return of government authorities to areas that they had seizures before.
