Turkey and Russia are discussing a broader Syrian ceasefire after brokering the deal that evacuated rebel-held eastern Aleppo, Syrian opposition factions said on Wednesday.
All previous attempts at enforcing a nationwide ceasefire in Syria have failed. The recent warming of ties between Russia and Turkey, who provide crucial support to opposing sides of the war, may prove to be a game changer, but the challenges are immense.
An official with one of the factions confirmed to The Associated Press that Russian and Turkish officials were debating a ceasefire proposal that would encompass the whole of Syria.
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Rebels have opposed previous proposals that would allow the government to continue its offensives around the outskirts of the capital, Damascus.
Turkey’s Anadolu Agency said on Wednesday morning that Ankara and Moscow had reached an agreement, and Turkish media reports quoted Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu as saying that a lasting ceasefire and political solution in Syria are “close.”
Yasin Aktay, the spokesman for Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party, said the government is pushing for a ceasefire to be in place “as we enter 2017.”
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The Syrian opposition official said factions were holding vigorous discussions over the possibilities, while an official with a different group said the proposal has not been formally presented to the opposition.
“It is difficult to accept or refuse the matter before we look at the details, of course,” said the official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity so as not to prejudge intra-opposition talks.
The Anadolu report quoted unnamed officials as saying a plan for a ceasefire “in all regions” would be presented to the warring parties. The ceasefire would exclude terrorist organizations, it said, without elaborating on which groups would be left out.
It said peace talks in Kazakhstan would proceed under Russia and Turkey’s leadership if the ceasefire holds, with the two acting as “guarantors” of any deal.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman confirmed Russia and Turkey were in “constant contact” to prepare for planned Syria peace talks in Kazakhstan, but did not comment about the possibility of a ceasefire.
Russia opposes UN sanctions on Syria
A top Russian diplomat meanwhile said a draft U.N. Security Council resolution that would impose sanctions on Syria for chemical weapons use is unacceptable to Moscow, which has veto power on the council.
A resolution drafted by Britain and France, which was obtained by The Associated Press, would impose sanctions on an array of Syrian individuals, organizations and companies allegedly involved in chemical weapons attacks. It would also ban sales of helicopters to Syria.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov was quoted by the state news agency Tass on Wednesday as saying the resolution “is categorically unacceptable to us. We warn them against attempts to fan tensions in the U.N. Security Council.”
Fraser reported from Ankara, Turkey. Associated Press writer Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow and producer Mahdi Fattahi in Tehran contributed to this report.