The largest of the four de-escalation zones is in northern Syria and includes Idlib province and adjoining districts of Latakia, Aleppo and Hama with a total population of over 1 million, the ministry said. Iran and Turkey agreed on Thursday to Russia's proposal to establish the de-escalation zones. But details of the memorandum the three guarantors signed were sketchy, while the main Syrian opposition group said it lacked all legitimacy. In Washington, Pentagon spokesman Captain Jeff Davis told reporters the US-led coalition in Syria had not altered its operations, but declined to comment on the de-escalation zones. The main Syrian opposition umbrella group, the High Negotiations Committee, cautioned against attempts to "partition the country through vague meanings of what have been called ... 'de-escalation' zones".

Source: bd News24 May 06, 2017 09:11 UTC