Some rebels in eastern Ghouta may soon agree to withdraw from the opposition enclave or accept rule by the Syrian state after big advances by the army into the area, a Syrian government minister said on Monday.
Syrian government forces have splintered eastern Ghouta into three separate zones in a month-long assault to crush the last major opposition stronghold near Damascus, confronting the rebels with their biggest defeat since 2016.
Damascus and its Russian allies are offering rebels in eastern Ghouta similar terms to those offered in other parts of the country that have been recaptured: safe passage out for those who agree to surrender territory, or a reconciliation agreement for those who wish to stay under government rule.
The government offensive has been one of the deadliest of the war, killing more than 1,400 people in eastern Ghouta since last month, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Tens of thousands of people have fled rebel-held areas into territory controlled by the government since Thursday.
Ali Haidar, the Syrian minister responsible for national reconciliation, told Reuters in an interview that rebels in an enclave centred around the town of Harasta – one of three rebel pockets in eastern Ghouta – may be ready to cut a deal.
Advances
He said the army had captured more than 80 per cent of the area once held by rebels but the pace of advances may slow as the troops reach more densely populated areas and they try to avoid civilian casualties.
“There will be possibility for greater discussion in the matter of reconciliations in these areas to safeguard civilians and therefore the pace that we saw may slow a bit,” Mr Haidar said.
With the sound of warplanes in the background, Mr Haidar said there were contacts with rebels and “to a certain extent there are acceptable results in part of the file”.
“There may be an accomplishment in Harasta in the coming period. I don’t commit to specific timeframes because the matter is linked to the militants accepting departure or settling their situation [with the authorities] and the army entering the area,” Mr Haidar said.
Rebels in eastern Ghouta have publicly ruled out the kind of negotiated withdrawal that helped Syrian president Bashar al Assad recover Aleppo, Homs and other areas, though figures close to rebels have said indirect talks have been underway to secure such an agreement.
The opposition accuses Mr Assad of moving his opponents out of Syria’s main towns and cities to the border with Turkey in what it calls a systematic policy of “demographic change”.
(Reuters)