As 'Safe Zone' Deal Is Signed, Syrian Opposition Delegation Walks out of Press Conference
London, 5 May - An agreement calling for the creation of four “safe zones” in Syria was signed by Turkey, Iran and Russia , but rejected by opposition fighters, who walked out of a press conference where the deal was announced, in the Kazakh capital, Astana. The opposition delegation said they would never accept Iran as a guarantor of a peace process, and criticized Russia, claiming that there was a huge gap between its promises and actions. They suggested that the plan may lead to the disintegration of Syria. Aimed at reducing the violence in Syria , where six-years of conflict has killed more than 400,000 people, the Astana talks are negotiations held under the auspices of the UN, and involve the Syrian political opposition. The use of weapons would be forbidden in the safe zones, where the restoration of infrastructure and essential services and the return of refugees would begin, according to a three-page memorandum from the Astana talks s...