Russia, Turkey, Iran sign deal on safe zones in Syria

Astana, May 4
Syrian regime allies Russia and Iran and rebel supporter Turkey today signed a memorandum on a Moscow-backed plan to create safe zones in Syria to bolster a fragile truce.
An AFP reporter at peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana saw the heads of the delegations sign the document. However a member of the rebel delegation left the room, shouting against regime ally Iran, the AFP reporter saw. The Syrian government and rebel delegations are not signatories.
The Kremlin has been touting a plan to create safe zones in Syria that is aimed to “further pacification and cessation of hostilities.”
“Over the past two days, the participants in the Astana talks reviewed the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the cessation of hostilities,” Kazakhstan’s foreign minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov said of a frail truce brokered by Moscow and Ankara in December.
“As a result the guarantor countries agreed to sign a memorandum on the creation of de-escalation zones in Syria.”