Your Source for NPR News & Music
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Deal Struck For Demilitarized Zone In Syria's Last Rebel Stronghold

SCOTT SIMON, HOST:

Russia and Turkey struck a deal this week to create a nine-mile demilitarized zone in the Idlib region between Syrian government forces and rebels trying to overthrow the Assad regime. The hope is to avert another huge humanitarian disaster in Syria. We turn now to special adviser to the United Nations, Jan Egeland. He's been working with all the parties to try and figure out a way forward. He joins us from Berlin on Skype. Mr. Egeland, thanks so much for being with us.

JAN EGELAND: Thank you.

SIMON: You have been in touch with people on the ground there in Idlib. What do they say about what things are like there now?

EGELAND: Well, what we hear is a lot of relief, really, that this relentless countdown to all-embracing war, civilians may be averted. But, of course, people are still afraid because what is not off is this war on terror. There are a number of listed terror organizations in Idlib, formerly called Al-Nusra and other groups. And they will be hit with air raids. They will be moved out of this buffer zone that you just described. They will be fought. And hundreds of thousands of civilians can still end up in the crossfire.

SIMON: How do you establish and enforce a nine-mile demilitarized zone?

EGELAND: Well, the idea of Russia and Turkey is now that Nusra and the other extremist groups will either voluntarily go from this zone, or they will be forced out by other groups and that Turkey and Russia have agreed that there will be an enforcement of this.

SIMON: The possibility of a battle in Idlib is figured to be probably the last battle of the Syrian civil war that's been going on for a number of years now. Does this agreement avoid that battle or merely postpone it?

EGELAND: Well, it must limit it. It's the so-called terrorists that will be fought. And therefore our job, which has one concern, the civilian population - half of the civilians there are already internally displaced - is to shield them against the bloodshed that will potentially now happen and the air raids that will happen.

SIMON: So you don't expect this to stop the fighting, just to divide it into sections?

EGELAND: I fear there could still be a lot of fighting with many, many thousands of men armed to the teeth with no option but to fight or die. It will also threaten the lifeline that 12,000 humanitarian colleagues - our collective lifeline is very fragile to 2 million people in non-government-controlled areas in the north.

SIMON: Is the deal in effect now? Is there a deadline?

EGELAND: Well, these are decisive days because between now and mid-October, the buffer zone is supposed to be established. That, in a way, will hold back any ground offensive by the Syrian army and allied forces. Presumably, there will be fighting - these groups. Al-Nusra have said that they will not leave their positions. So there will be fighting now first in the buffer zone, possibly, and then later on in other parts of Idlib.

SIMON: Jan Egeland is secretary-general of the Norwegian Refugee Council and a special adviser to the U.N. Thanks so much for being with us, sir.

EGELAND: Thank you. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.

Related Stories