Syria rejects UN monitors for 鈥榙e-escalation鈥� deal

Syrian families of opposition fighters gather at a staging point in the Barzeh neighborhood of Damascus as they wait to be evacuated Monday. (AFP)

JEDDAH: Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al-Moallem said on Monday his country would reject any UN role in monitoring the implementation of four 鈥渄e-escalation鈥� zones.
鈥淲e do not accept a role for the UN or international forces to monitor the agreement,鈥� Al-Moallem told reporters in Damascus.
Regime backers Russia and Iran and opposition supporter Turkey reached a deal on Thursday on four 鈥渄e-escalation zones鈥� in Syria where the regime and the opposition will halt hostilities.
The deal says those areas would be bordered by 鈥渟ecurity zones鈥� with checkpoints and observation posts 鈥渆nsured by the forces of the guarantors by consensus,鈥� but that 鈥渢hird-party鈥� monitors could also be deployed.
Al-Moallem said there could be a role 鈥渁s the Russian guarantor has said, for military police,鈥� but it was unclear if he was referring to Syrian or foreign units.
Al-Moallem said Syrian regime forces would respond 鈥渄ecisively鈥� to any violation or attack by the opposition.
鈥淭here are still logistical details that will be discussed in Damascus, and we will see the extent of commitment to this agreement,鈥� he added.
The Russia-Iran-Turkey deal became effective over the weekend and brought a general reduction in violence across the country, but clashes continued, particularly in central Syria. There are still questions about how it will be enforced.
Al-Moallem said the regime hopes the agreement will, as a start, separate armed opposition groups from extremist groups such as the Nusra Front.
鈥淚t is the duty of these armed groups to force the Nusra Front and others to leave their areas in order for this area to become an area of de-escalation,鈥� he said.
Al-Moallem warned neighboring Jordan not to send troops to Syria. He said Damascus does not want confrontation, but 鈥渋f Jordanian forces enter our land without coordination with Syria, we will consider them hostile forces.鈥�
Jordan said it had no intention of sending any Jordanian forces into Syria. However, it said it will take all measures to counter any threat to its security and stability coming from Syria.
Jordan鈥檚 former minister of state for media affairs and communication, Nabil Al-Sharif, told Arab News on Monday: 鈥淪ince the beginning of the Syrian crisis, Jordan has been maintaining a steady political stance, calling for the unity of the Syrian territories and for a political solution to the six-year-long war in that country.鈥�
As Al-Sharif said during his meeting with media representatives in late April, King Abdallah clearly emphasized that no Jordanian soldier would be deployed beyond the border on any combat mission, refuting claims that Jordan was planning a military intervention in Syria in cooperation with regional and international parties.
In April, Syrian President Bashar Assad told Russia鈥檚 Sputnik news agency that his government was aware of Jordan鈥檚 plans to deploy troops in Syria in coordination with the US.
Jordan鈥檚 minister of state for media affairs, Mohammad Momani, said Assad鈥檚 claim was 鈥渇ar from reality.鈥�
Momani added: 鈥淛ordan has been a target of terrorist attacks. Terrorist groups active in Syria 鈥� such as Daesh, Al-Qaeda and Jabhat Al-Nusrah 鈥� committed these attacks. Jordan has every right to ensure the safety of its lands and its citizens. The kingdom does not have to send any troops into Syria to ensure that that objective is secured. Rather, the government has been coordinating with active tribal groups inside Syria in that regard.鈥�
He continued: 鈥淭he Syrian regime鈥檚 repeated accusation of Jordan reflects its isolation from the rest of the world. There are several international and regional actors on the ground in Syria, including the Russians, the Iranians and the Lebanese Hezbollah, let alone the thousands of terrorists affiliated with terrorist groups. Instead of making this illogical statement, it (the Syrian regime) should work with the international community to reach a reasonable solution to end the war that has killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions.鈥�
鈥� With input from AP