Areas of Syria’s safe-zone agreement

CAIRO – 8 May 2017: A Syrian safe-zone agreement signed by international forces came into force on Saturday, according to CBS Evening News.

The agreement included four main areas in Syria’s Idlib Governorate and parts of neighboring Latakia, Aleppo and Hama provinces, the northern part of Homs province, the Damascus neighborhood of Eastern Ghouta, and the southern parts of Deraa and Quneitra provinces bordering on Jordan.

The safe-zone agreement is a diplomatic attempt at alleviating the carnage in Syria and will last for six months.

Here is a map of the safe zones created by Egypt Today



Russia, Turkey and Iran have signed on Thursday a memorandum agreeing to stop fighting between the Syrian government forces and the armed opposition and to establish security buffers, checkpoints and observation posts controlled by the guarantor states. The new deal can also be renewed for six more months.

This agreement has a great significance with regards to the international efforts to end the six-year conflict in Syria. However, it is doubtful if the violence perpetrated by terrorist groups such as the Islamic State (IS) and Jabhat al-Nusra will completely stop. As restated by CBS Evening News, since Syria's civil war broke out in 2011, several ceasefire agreements have been established between the government and opposition forces but they have all failed.

The next round of Syrian peace talks in Astana has been scheduled for mid-July.