Major powers agree to plan for cessation of hostilities in Syria
Syria task force hopes for humanitarian access
Carter says UAE will put special forces in Syria
Turkey says 100,000 refugees in border camps inside Syria
Turkish Prime Minister Davutoglu signals Turkish action after fall of Aleppo corridor
Major powers agree to plan for cessation of hostilities in Syria
Diplomats agreed to work toward a temporary “cessation of hostilities” within a week, although efforts to secure a lasting ceasefire fell short. The deal appeared to be the result of a compromise between the United States, which wanted an immediate ceasefire, and Russia, which had proposed a March 1. UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura is very keen to hold a new round of peace talks after big powers agreed, but he said plans to reconvene the talks were still “cloudy.” Foreign ministers from the International Syria Support Group managed to seal an agreement to “accelerate and expand” deliveries of humanitarian aid to besieged Syrian communities beginning this week. Secretary of State John Kerry defended the agreement as what the Syrian opposition wanted. Speaking for the group, Kerry praised the results as a significant accomplishment but noted that an agreement would only be a “pause” in fighting and that more work would be needed to turn it into a ceasefire. “The real test is whether or not all the parties honor those commitments and implement them,” he told reporters after the nearly six-hour meeting. France, Germany, and Britain put pressure on Russia to follow through on agreement with actions and to stop air strikes. Turkey hails the agreement as an important step. Meanwhile, Syrian opposition said rebel forces on the ground, which were not at the talks, have yet to agree. [Reuters, AFP, AP, NYT, Guardian, 2/12/2016]
Syria task force hopes for humanitarian access
Representatives of 17 countries will meet in Geneva Friday afternoon for UN hosted talks on how to ensure humanitarian access in war-ravaged Syria. Jan Egeland, who heads the Norwegian Refugee Council and is to lead Friday’s meeting in the task force, says the deal could provide a “breakthrough” to get aid needed to civilians in the war-torn country. Egeland said the main focus is gaining access to besieged towns. He said aid convoys have been denied access and left on standby “for too long.” In a statement, Egeland said a request for access to the most-affected areas was made Friday, and aid could be shipped to some of those areas by early next week. A UN report on Thursday said military offensive by Syrian regime and allied forces has cut off 120,000 people in the northern Homs governorate since mid-January, worsening hunger and killing patients unable to get to medical care. [AFP, AP, 2/12/2016]
Carter says UAE will put special forces in Syria
US Defense Secretary Ash Carter says the United Arab Emirates has agreed to send special forces to Syria to assist in the development of local Sunni Arab fighters focused on recapturing Raqqa, the Islamic State group (ISIS or ISIL)’s self-proclaimed capital. Carter declined to say how many Emirati special forces would participate. He said they would be part of an effort led by the US and bolstered by Saudi special forces. Carter also told reporters that if the proposed cessation of hostilities is implemented, the United States will continue combating ISIS in Syria. “There is no ceasefire in the war against ISIL, let’s be clear about that,” Carter said. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has warned other nations against committing their troops to ground action in Syria, saying it would exacerbate the conflict. Medvedev said, “a ground operation draws everyone into a war.” He reaffirmed that Russia, which has conducted an air campaign in Syria since September 30, has no intention to engage in ground action. [AP, AFP, Reuters, Al Arabiya, 2/12/2016]
Turkey says 100,000 refugees in border camps inside Syria
Close to the Turkish border, some 100,000 Syrian refugees are being looked after in camps inside Syria. This number includes 35,000 who fled this month a Russian-backed regime offensive in northern Aleppo province. Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Yalcin Akdogan said, “There are nine camps on the other side of the border accommodating 100,000 people including the 30-35,000 new arrivals.” He added that a tenth camp was being built 3 kilometers inside Syria. Thousands came right up to the Turkish border in the hope that Turkey would open the gates and allow them inside, but only wounded victims went through for treatment. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday threatened to send the millions of refugees in Turkey to EU member states, as NATO agreed to deploy ships to the Aegean Sea to ease the migrant crisis. In a speech in Ankara, Erdogan stepped up his denunciations of Western policy in the refugee crisis, confirming he had threatened EU leaders at a summit meeting in November that Turkey could say “goodbye” to the refugees. [AFP, AP, 2/12/2016]
Turkish Prime Minister Davutoglu signals Turkish action after fall of Aleppo corridor
Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has implied that Turkey will take action after the capture of the town of Azaz in Syria, a strategic corridor between Aleppo and Turkey for rebel groups, by Syrian regime troops backed by Russian air strikes. Speaking to reporters en route to Turkey from the Netherlands, Davutoglu said that he had told German Chancellor Angela Merkel of the need to stop Russia in Syria in order to prevent further influxes of refugees to Turkey and Europe from the region. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Thursday that the number of refugees fleeing to Turkish border might reach 600,000 if air strikes continue. When asked whether Turkey will take action to reopen the corridor to Aleppo, Davutoglu said, “Wait for the next few days and you will have the answer,” daily Hurriyet reported on Friday. With regard to recent controversy over US support for the Syrian Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD), Davutoglu has also stated that Ankara will “do what is necessary if Turkey’s security is threatened by the group’s military wing, the People’s Defense Units (YPG). [Today’s Zaman, Hurriyet, 2/12/2016]
Cavusoglu said Saudi Arabia was “ready to send both jets and troops” to Turkey’s Incirlik air base. “Turkey and Saudi Arabia may launch an operation [against ISIS] from the land,” he added. On Sunday, Turkish MP Yasin Aktay confirmed Saudi warplanes will act together with the coalition forces in the fight against the ISIL. Recent reports on the expected arrival of the jets are conflicting, however, and Turkish officials have not confirmed that action will be taken by the two countries alone. Although a Saudi diplomat said Sunday that Saudi Arabia was serious about sending ground troops, the two countries appear to be waiting to see if a planned ceasefire transpires and for a sign-off from the US led coalition. [AP, Reuters, Al Jazeera, Rudaw, Independent, 2/15/2016]