President Vladimir Putin said on Monday \u201cthe main part\u201d of Russian armed forces in Syria would start to withdraw, and instructed his diplomats to step up the push for peace as UN-mediated talks resumed in Geneva on ending the five-year war.<\/p>\n
Syria announced President Bashar al-Assad had agreed on the \u201creduction\u201d of Russian forces in a telephone call with Putin. Western diplomats urged caution and the anti-Assad opposition expressed bafflement, with a spokesman saying \u201cnobody knows what is in Putin\u2019s mind.\u201d
\nThe Kremlin also said Putin and Syria leader Bashar al-Assad agreed on the withdrawal of Russian forces from Syria in a phone call.<\/p>\n
Russia\u2019s military intervention in Syria in September helped to turn the tide of war in Assad\u2019s favor after months of gains in western Syria by rebel fighters, who were aided by foreign military supplies including U.S.-made anti-tank missiles.<\/p>\n
Putin\u2019s announcement – made without any advance warning to the United States – dropped out of the blue.
\nAt a meeting with his defence and foreign ministers, Putin said Russian forces had largely fulfilled their objectives in Syria. But he gave no deadline for the completion of the withdrawal and said forces would remain at a seaport and airbase in Syria\u2019s Latakia province.
\n\u201cThe task that was set before our defence ministry and armed forces has as a whole been completed and so I order the defence ministry to from tomorrow start the withdrawal of the main part of our military contingents from the Syrian Arab Republic,\u201d Putin told Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in televised comments.
\nPutin also asked his foreign ministry to intensify Russia\u2019s role in brokering a peace deal in Syria.
\nThe Russian leader said Moscow\u2019s work in the country had created the necessary conditions for the peace process.
\nThe Russian ambassador to the United Nations said Monday that Russia\u2019s decision to begin withdrawing from Syria will help Moscow\u2019s push to reach a political settlement.
\n\u201cOur diplomacy has received marching orders to intensify our efforts to achieve a political settlement in Syria,\u201d Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters ahead of a UN Security Council meeting on Syria.
\n\u201cWe are in the political mode now, in the cessation of hostilities mode.\u201d
\nChurkin, however, declined to specify whether Moscow would halt all air strikes, saying instead that the forces staying behind will enforce the ceasefire that began in late February.
\nThe envoy also said he would inform the Security Council on Russia\u2019s withdrawal plan during a closed-door meeting called to hear UN envoy Staffan de Mistura report on the latest round of talks.<\/p>\n
Syrian presidency <\/strong> A statement from the presidency said it had received many questions about the announcement, and some reports had spread interpretations \u201cthat what happened reflects a Syrian-Russian difference that led to the decision to reduce forces.\u201d<\/p>\n The Syrian presidency \u201cconfirms that the whole subject happened in complete coordination between the Russian and Syrian sides, and is a step that was carefully and accurately studied for some time,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n Syrian opposition welcomes move<\/strong> Meanwhile, Mohamad Alloush, head of the politburo of the Jaish al-Islam rebel group and chief negotiator for the opposition at the talks in Switzerland, said: \u201cI welcome the Russian withdrawal if it is genuine and not just a manoeuver.\u201d Putin made the announcement five months after he ordered a military intervention that turned the tide of the war in favor of Assad.<\/p>\n The move was announced on the day United Nations-brokered talks between the warring sides in Syria resumed in Geneva.<\/p>\n Two U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, also said they had seen no indications so far of preparations by Russia\u2019s military for the withdrawal.<\/p>\n Russia not attacking moderate rebels? <\/strong> Le Drian\u2019s comment were made before Putin made the announcement.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Russians…had practically stopped hitting moderate insurgents,\u201d Le Drian said, adding that they were carrying out attacks on ISIS militants.<\/p>\n Source: Alarabiya<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" President Vladimir Putin said on Monday \u201cthe main part\u201d of Russian armed forces in Syria would start to withdraw, and instructed his diplomats to step up the push for peace as UN-mediated talks resumed in Geneva on ending the five-year war.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":5751,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-c59-islamic-world"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nMeanwhile, the Syrian presidency on Monday denied suggestions that Russia\u2019s announcement that its forces would start pulling out of Syria reflected a difference between the two countries, saying the step was coordinated and had been studied for some time.<\/p>\n
\nSyria\u2019s opposition on Monday, meanwhile, welcomed Russia\u2019s announcement, saying a serious withdrawal would put pressure on Syrian authorities and give peace talks a positive impetus.
\n\u201cIf there is seriousness in implementing the withdrawal, it will give the talks a positive push,\u201d said Salim al-Muslat, spokesman for the rebel High Negotiations Committee.
\n\u201cIf this is a serious step it will form a major element of pressure on the regime, because the Russian support prolonged the regime. Matters will change significantly as a result of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nBut, in a WhatsApp message from Geneva he added: \u201cThere are no indications of it being implemented.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nMeanwhile, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said in an interview with Le Figaro newspaper on Monday that Russian forces have practically stopped attacking moderate Syrian rebels.<\/p>\n