UN envoy says deescalation Zones in Syria temporary

“I want to emphasise, this deescalation agreement is considered to be interim, not undermining Syrian territorial integrity and unity…

“Interim means that these deescalation areas and practical arrangements should not become a preparation to … what could become de-facto areas of influence or partition of the country,” de Mistura said.

The UN envoy added that political stabilisation phase in Syria should be starting “more or less together” with the deescalation phase.

De Mistura also said that the agreement on deescalation zones reached by the Presidents of Russia and the U.S, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump is “a step in the right direction,” adding that it already helps the Geneva discussions and will help the Astana discussions as well.

On Friday, following the meeting between Putin and Trump, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the U.S., Russia and Jordan agreed on ceasefire in the Daraa, Quneitra and As-Suwayda governorates in southwestern Syria.

The ceasefire started at noon Damascus time (09:00 GMT) on Sunday. (Sputnik/NAN)