Report of the Russian Centre for reconciliation of opposing sides in the Syrian Arab Republic (March 30, 2016)
General information on the application of measures for the reconciliation of opposing sides
Specialists of the Russian Centre for reconciliation held consultations with authorities of the Hama and Aleppo provinces. The sides discussed issues of ceasefire regime and humanitarian aid providing. Preliminary agreements with representatives of two inhabited locations of the Hama and Homs provinces have been achieved.
The total number of settlements, the leaders of which have signed reconciliation agreements, has remained 51.
The number of ceasefire application forms signed with leaders of armed groupings has remained 43.
Within last 24 hours, the Russian Centre has received 897 appeals from militants, who had decided to lay down their weapon and return to peaceful life.
Results of ceasefire monitoring
All sides involved in the conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic confirm significant reduce of warfare intensity. Thus, on the average, 12-15 violations were registered daily in the early March. However, the number of daily violations has reached 5-7 ones a day.
In general, the ceasefire regime in the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic has been observed.
In the course of last 24 hours, 6 ceasefire violations have been registered (Aleppo – 5, Latakia – 1).
In Aleppo, armed formations of Ahrar al-Sham grouping, which had claimed to belong to the opposition, performed shelling with multiple launch rocket systems against Sheikh Maqsood from Sakan al-Shababi.
In the Aleppo province, Harakat Nour al-Din al-Zenki detachments took efforts to conduct offensive against positions of the government troops in Basufan after performing preliminary bombardment.
Ahrar al-Sham militants carried out shelling with a tank and mortars of positions of the government troops near Hara, Maraanaz and al-Malikia (Aleppo province).
In the Latakia province, Ahrar al-Sham militants opened fire with small arms and mortars against positions of the government troops near Qaramanli.
Russian Aerospace Forces and Syrian Air Forces did not make strikes on armed formations, which follow ceasefire regime and informed the Russian or American Centres for reconciliation about their location.
Humanitarian aid to the population of Syria
Russian Centre for reconciliation of opposing sides has held working session with representatives of the Ministry of the National Reconciliation of the Syrian Arab Republic. The parties discussed issues of humanitarian aid providing.
In course of last 24 hours, the Russian Centre has transported 4.4 tons of humanitarian cargos to the Aleppo province for further delivering aid to citizens of most damaged towns and villages.
Additional information
Leadership of the Russian Centre for reconciliation (Hmeymim airbase) and the American Coordination Centre (Amman) held another teleconference session. The sides discussed situation in different regions of the Republic, ceasefire observing, facts of ceasefire violation, and issues of interaction in providing humanitarian aid to the Syrian population.
According to information received from citizens of the Aleppo province, officers of the Turkish Armed Forces are recruiting militants for Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist grouping in Mareaa and Azaz.
Jabhat al-Nusra continues performing provocative acts in Aleppo. Within last 24 hours, terrorists opened mortar fire against Sheikh Maqsood from Ashrafiyah for three times. Kurdish militia detachments fired in respond.
The Russian Aerospace Forces aviation group in the Syrian Arab Republic carried out strikes against ISIS terrorist formations near Al-Qaryatayn and in regions of close vicinity to Tadmor (Palmyra, Homs province).
The Russian aviation group has performed 23 sorties at nighttime engaging 54 terrorist objects of ISIS. The aircraft have eliminated 4 control centers, 6 artillery guns and mortars, 3 ammunition depots, 2 POL depots, 18 off-roaders with armament, an air defence system and more than 60 militants.
Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation ordered to send specialists of the International Mine Action Centre to Syria for mine clearance in Palmyra
According to the decision of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, the Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation has ordered to send specialists of the International Mine Action Centre to Syria for humanitarian mine clearance in the city Palmyra, which had been liberated from ISIS terrorists by the Syrian Army.
After practical training and a briefing on particularities of humanitarian mine clearance in the historical part of Palmyra conducted in the Nakhabino town (Moscow Region), the servicemen of a compounded detachment of the International Mine Action Centre have embarked on an aircraft of the Military transport aviation at the Chkalovsky airfield and departed to the Hmeymim airbase.
The mine clearance detachment of the International Mine Action Centre of the Russian Armed Forces is completely autonomous and equipped with the most advanced demining sets and protection suits (selective portable inductive mine detectors IMP-2S, portable explosive device control wire searchers PIPL, portable searchers of proximity explosive devices INVU-3M, combined arms demining suits) as well as life support means (autonomous electric supply systems, field kitchens, tents and containers for accommodation of servicemen).
Along with sapper units the detachment also includes a team with mine-detecting dogs. During the mine clearance robotic complexes Uran-6 will be used.
Earlier the first group of specialists with engineer equipment and sappers’ mobile camp equipment had embarked on an An-124 Ruslan aircraft and departed to the Hmeymim airbase.
1,000 people displaced inside Syria daily return home
GENEVA, March 30. /TASS/. Moscow welcomes the return of people internally displaced inside Syria to their homes, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov told the high-level meeting on global responsibility sharing through pathways for admission of Syrian refugees on Wednesday.
“The situation with people internally displaced inside Syria remains in the focus of our attention,” the top-ranking diplomat said. “We see a positive tendency in a stable decline in their numbers over the recent time,” he said, noting that “according to available data, up to 1,000 people return to their homes every day”.
Moscow assumes that “humanitarian assistance and prospects of peaceful life for the Syrians will be a guarantee that internally displaced persons won’t join the army of refugees outside their country,” Gatilov added.
UNESCO missions should not be sent to Palmyra until demining complete
Russia has addressed international organizations, in particular UNESCO, with a proposal to assist in restoring cultural heritage in the ancient Syrian city of Palmyra that was recently liberated from terrorists, Gennady Gatilov said.
“Very large territories remain mined both in Palmyra and around it,” Gatilov said. “The issue is on the agenda on taking urgent measures to demine these territories. Without this, measures to restore destroyed monuments should not be taken,” he added.
Opposition’s disunity, absence of Kurds hinder intra-Syrian negotiations
The disunity of the Syrian opposition and the absence of Kurdish representatives in the delegations have a negative impact on the course of the intra-Syrian negotiations, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister went on to say.
“This, of course, would be preferable,” he said, answering a question about the need to unite the opposition groups into a single delegation.
“In order to achieve results, ideally it is necessary to have two sides: the government delegation and the opposition delegation,” Gatilov said. “But the real situation is such that it (the opposition) cannot unite due to the existing contradictions between different groups.”
According to the Russian deputy foreign minister, the UN leadership and the UN special envoy for Syria realize this. “They call upon all countries that have the corresponding influence on individual groups, to exert efforts to bring them to a common platform,” he said. “It is no easy task, because there are contradictions not only between the groups, but also within them, between their individual members. This has a negative impact on the course of the intra-Syrian negotiations.”
According to the high-ranking diplomat, “The same applies to the absence of Kurds at the negotiations.” “The Kurdish opposition has still not been presented [in the negotiations],” he said. “This situation needs to be corrected.”
On March 24, the first round of indirect intra-Syrian talks ended in Geneva. Their participants — a delegation of the Syrian government and a delegation of the opposition – did not meet each other but communicated through special envoy of the UN secretary general on Syria Staffan de Mistura. Discussions are due to resume in the first half of April.
On Saturday, Russia’s envoy to the UN office and other international organizations in Geneva Alexei Borodavkin told TASS that overall, “the delegations have demonstrated a serious approach and an intention to discuss practical ways of getting out of the Syrian crisis. No one, and this has been noted by the special envoy [Staffan de Mistura], tried to blame the other side for illegitimacy,” Borodavkin said.
According to the diplomatic official, “it is important to ensure presence of a wide spectrum of Syrian opposition groups in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolution and the documents of the International Syria Support Group in this round [of talks].” Meanwhile, Borodavkin said, “as de Mistura pointed out the delegations from the local patriotic opposition proved themselves as professionals, having prepared position papers, and demonstrated a serious approach to the discussion of all aspects of the Syrian settlement.” “The result of the round [of talks] inspires cautious optimism,” Borodavkin added.
Parties supporting Syria peace should break away from terrorist groups
To see a truce achieved in Syria it is necessary that the parties supporting the peace process break away from terrorist groups, Gatilov noted.
“The main task as concerns the ceasefire is to determine the parties to which the truce applies, and those that continue hostile activity and reject a political settlement, against which military operations will continue,” the diplomat said.
He said this was the subject matter of a dialog with American partners. “Of course, everybody voted for the UN Security Council resolution on those groups that must be recognized as terrorists, but there are certain nuances – some terrorist groups have turned out to be intermingled with each other,” he went on.
“Those who recognize the political process and are ready to participate in the ceasefire must simply break away from terrorists adhering to other positions,” Gatilov said.
“Then, strikes won’t target them. If they are really in favor of a peace dialogue, they should behave respectfully,” the top diplomat added.
The army establishes control over a hill in eastern Hama, destroyed 5 vehicles for terrorists in Daraa and Sweida
30 March، 2016
Provinces, SANA
30 March، 2016
Provinces, SANA
The army continues its operations against ISIS, Jabhat al-Nusra and other terrorist organizations all over the country, taking control of more areas and destroying vehicles and weapons for the terrorists.
Hama
An army unit, in cooperation with the popular defense groups, carried out operation against ISIS fortified sites and gatherings in which established control over Tabaret al-Dibe hill in Salmiya area the eastern countryside of Hama province.
During the operation, many of ISIS terrorists were killed and their vehicles and fortified sites were destroyed.
Sweida
An army unit targeted a gathering of ISIS terrorists in Bir al-Tanmiyeh area in the eastern countryside of the southern Sweida province, destroying 4 vehicles transporting terrorists, arms and ammunition, a military source told SANA on Wednesday.
Daraa
In the eastern countryside of the neighboring Daraa province, an army unit hit movements of Jabhat al-Nusra terrorists in the northern side of Tuloul Khleif near Um Walad village, located on border with Sweida, destroying a car equipped with a heavy machinegun.
Deir Ezzor
Army continued its operations against ISIS gatherings and fortified sites in Deir Ezzor province.
Field sources told SANA reporter that an army unit conducted an operation in al-Mattar al-Qadim neighborhood in the southern parts of Deir Ezzor city.
A 20-meter long tunnel was detonated by the army during the operation, killing many terrorists and injuring many others.
River to Sea
Uprooted Palestinian 
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