The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) welcomes the Russian-Turkish agreement on Idlib demilitarization as a means to remove the immediate threat to civilians, but wants to see how it will be implemented in reality, Eva Pilipp, spokeswoman for ICRC in Damascus, told Sputnik.
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th September, 2018) The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) welcomes the Russian-Turkish agreement on Idlib demilitarization as a means to remove the immediate threat to civilians, but wants to see how it will be implemented in reality, Eva Pilipp, spokeswoman for ICRC in Damascus, told Sputnik.
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to set up a demilitarized zone in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib by October 15. Russian military police and Turkish forces will be patrolling the demilitarized zone in Idlib along the contact line between the armed opposition and the government troops. All heavy weaponry operated by rebel groups must be pulled out of the demilitarized zone by October 10, the agreement stipulates.
"Any solution like this which removes an immediate threat of a military action is very welcomed. There is 2.5 million civilians in Idlib, and half of them might have already been displaced, at least once. So they have hardships in their daily lives and any further escalation of violence of course would have been a nightmare scenario for these people. Now we have to wait a bit and see how this announcement of the demilitarized zone around Idlib is actually implemented," Pilipp said.
She added that "only a political solution can alleviate the suffering of civilians, in Syria or any other country."
Idlib remains the last rebel-held stronghold in Syria, where approximately 10,000 militants remain, according to the United Nations. However, it also home to a large civilian population, which puts the humanitarian issue at heart of any counterterrorism plans in the region. The proposed zone would separate Syrian government troops and rebel fighters and radicals. Russia and Turkey also reiterated their determination to fight terrorism in Syria in the joint memorandum.
"The situation of the civilians remains a concern, because they have gone through a lot; the situation is still difficult for them. Infrastructure has been damaged already before, so about 8 hospitals out of 28 in Idlib are not functioning any more ... Much work and much aid is needed to support them," Pilipp said.
The Syrian authorities have welcomed the agreement on a demilitarized zone in Idlib, local media reported on Tuesday, citing a source in the Syrian Foreign Ministry.
Syria has been devastated by years of violent civil war that has prompted millions to flee hostilities to other locations within the country or abroad. The international community has taken efforts to settle the conflict through UN-mediated talks in Geneva and the Astana-format guarantors' negotiations on ceasefire issues.
