The following is the text of the Syria cease-fire agreement reached by
the United States and Russia on Sept. 9, 2016.
While the truce appears to have all but
collapsed amid Syrian government and rebel violations, Washington and Moscow
say they're committed to trying to revive the deal.
When the agreement was struck, the
former Cold War foes decided to keep it confidential. Other powers, such as
France, have complained about the secrecy.
Both the U.S. and Russia in recent days
have spoken of making the document public. The Associated Press obtained a copy
of the agreement. The document is time-stamped Sept. 9 at 10 p.m.
Reducing Violence, Restoring Access and Establishing the JIC
The Russian Federation and the United
States (hereafter - "the Sides") intend to undertake joint efforts to
stabilize the situation in Syria, with special measures for the Aleppo region.
Delineation of territories controlled by ISIL, "Jabhat Al-Nusra," and
moderate armed opposition forces remains a key priority, as does separating
moderate opposition forces from Nusra.
The Sides will designate a date and time
at which the following measures will go into effect (designated as Day
"D'').
1. On Day "D," all parties to
the cessation of hostilities (CoH) in Syria will recommit to the CoH and honor
its terms in full, as set forth in the February 22, 2016 Joint Declaration of
the Russian Federation and the United States, for a 48 hour period. In
particular, these terms include: ceasing all attacks with any weapons,
including aerial bombardments, rockets, mortars, and anti-tank guided missiles;
refraining from acquiring or seeking to acquire territory from other parties to
the CoH; allowing humanitarian agencies rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained
access throughout areas under their operational control and allowing immediate
humanitarian assistance to reach all people in need; employing proportionate
use of force (i.e. no greater than required to address an immediate threat) if
and when responding in self-defense. The Sides will agree and inform all
parties as to the date and time for "Day D."
2. On D+2, if the CoH in Syria has
continued to hold to the mutual satisfaction of the Sides, they will extend it
for a mutually agreed upon period of time. Subsequently, the Sides may decide
to extend the CoH indefinitely, under the same terms. The Sides will use their
influence with the parties to fully honor the terms of the CoH.
3. Special measures will also go into
effect for the Castello Road area in Aleppo (as defined by mutually determined
coordinates), specifically:
a. Beginning Day D, and even prior to
the establishment of checkpoints on the Castello road, humanitarian assistance
will be delivered consistent with the terms of the CoH and established UN
procedures, and in coordination with relevant UN representatives. At the
Turkish border, the UN Monitoring Mission (UNMM) will continue to inspect and
seal the trucks designated for delivery of humanitarian assistance via Castello
Road to Eastern Aleppo. The seals will not be broken and the trucks will not be
opened by any authority between the point of their review and sealing in Turkey
and the point of their unloading at UN and its partners' warehouses in east and
west Aleppo.
b. The Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC)
(or another agreed upon third party) will operate as soon as possible two
checkpoints (at agreed upon locations) to verify that, until the UNOPS (or
another agreed upon third party) checkpoints are established as clearly
described below in this paragraph, only trucks inspected by the UNMM are
transiting the road, and that the seals have not been broken. A small
detachment of no more than twenty armed personnel per shift provided by, and
mutually acceptable to, the government and opposition forces, will provide
security for the SARC personnel at the checkpoints on the western and eastern
ends of the Castello Road, respectively. The UN will monitor (by physical
presence or remotely) the activities of all personnel at the checkpoints. These
SARC-manned checkpoints and physical security for them will be handed over to
independent, international personnel under the direction of UNOPS (or another
agreed upon third party), as soon as they can be deployed. These
internationally-managed checkpoints will provide for the phased-in unrestricted
movement of all humanitarian, commercial and civilian traffic on Castello Road,
as well as the non-use of the road for the transport of weapons (in accordance
with procedures to be developed). Phasing will proceed as quickly as possible,
when those managing the checkpoints assess, in consultation with the UN and the
Sides, that they have the capabilities to accommodate the traffic in a safe and
orderly manner.
c. Simultaneous with the establishment
of the SARC (or another agreed upon third party) checkpoints indicated in 3(b),
pro-government forces and opposition units will pull back simultaneously from
Castello Road, and the vacated area will be considered a "demilitarized
zone."
Specifically, pro-government forces
will:
—Pull back heavy weapons such as armored
fighting vehicles and infantry fighting vehicles (other than BTR-60 and BMP-1
without ATGM), tanks, artillery, and mortars, to a distance of 3,500m north of
the road;
—Pull back crew-served machine guns,
BTR-60 and BMP-1 without ATGM to a distance of 2,500m north of the road;
—Pull back all personnel, other than
those present at two observation posts, to a distance of 1,000m north of the
road armed with only small arms or light machine guns;
—On the south side of the road, pull
back all personnel, weapons and equipment to a distance of 500m from the road;
—Establish up to two observation posts
no less than 500m north of Castello road. The locations will be mutually agreed
upon, depending on terrain, with a staff of up to 15 persons equipped with
small arms only for self-defense and observation equipment;
—Not impede any humanitarian, civilian
and commercial traffic transiting Castello Road; and
—Not occupy areas that opposition groups
vacate or set up positions in the demilitarized zone, other than the
observation posts.
Opposition forces will simultaneously
undertake the following actions:
—On the eastern end of Castello Road on
the agreed-upon map (to be determined), the opposition will operate depending
on the actions of the Kurdish militia units: if the Kurds are present north of
Castello Road, the opposition will remain in place; if the Kurds pull back 500m
south of Castello Road, the vacated area will be considered to be demilitarized
and the opposition groups will pull back 500m north of the road;
—On the western end of Castello Road (on
the line of contact extending north from the Castello shopping complex), the
opposition pullback will be conducted analogous to the withdrawal of
pro-government forces enumerated above.
—Opposition groups located in the 31/15
quadrant of the Russian-provided map, to the north of the Castello shopping
complex, will:
—Pull back heavy weapons such as armored
fighting vehicles and infantry fighting vehicles (other than BTR-60 and BMP-1
without ATGM), tanks, artillery, and mortars, to a distance of 3,000m north;
—Pull back crew-served machine guns,
BTR-60 and BMP-1 without ATGM to a distance of 2,500m north;
—Pull back all personnel to a distance
of 1,000m north with only small arms or light machine guns;
—Along the portion of the road that runs
from the Castello shopping complex to near the Layramoun Circle, the opposition
groups will pull back personnel and weapons to 500m north of Castello Road.
This mirrors the pullback of pro-regime forces to 500m south of the Castello
Road between those points;
—Not impede any humanitarian, civilian
and commercial traffic transiting Castello Road;
—Will not occupy areas that pro-regime
forces vacate or set up positions in the demilitarized zone, other than the
observation posts; and
—The opposition will make every effort
to prevent Nusra forces from advancing into the demilitarized zone from
opposition-held areas adjacent to it.
d. Any Syrians can leave Aleppo via
Castello Road, including armed opposition forces with their weapons, with the
understanding that no harm will come to them and they can choose their
destination. Opposition forces leaving Aleppo with weapons must coordinate
ahead of time with UN representatives as to the time they will be using
Castello Road and the number of personnel and weapons and military equipment
departing. It is also understood that no harm will come to civilians or to
opposition forces who abide by the CoH and who choose to remain in Aleppo.
e. Any reported violations of the
demilitarized zone by any party will be addressed by the United States and
Russia. In the event of a penetration of the demilitarized zone by fighters
from Nusra after the JIC has been established, the United States and Russia
will act in accordance with the provisions of the JIC Terms of Reference (ToR).
f. On Day D, both pro-government forces
and opposition groups in the Ramouseh gap will provide safe, unhindered and
sustainable humanitarian access to eastern and western Aleppo. They will also
facilitate unrestricted movement of all commercial and civilian traffic on the
Khan Tuman Road in the Ramouseh Gap in coordination with the UN and establish a
monitoring mechanism to be agreed to by the Sides and the UN as soon as
possible to ensure access is unimpeded. For this purpose, technical teams from
the Sides and the UN will convene by D+4. The delivery of humanitarian
assistance will be consistent with the terms of the CoH and established UN
procedures, and in coordination with relevant UN representatives. Neither the
opposition groups nor pro-government forces will launch attacks within the area
indicated in the attached map, and according to the corresponding
geo-coordinates (hereinafter referred to as the "area"). Neither the
opposition groups nor pro-government forces will attempt to acquire new territory
from the other in the "area."
4. The Sides will confirm to each other
that the Syrian government and opposition have agreed to adhere to the
applicable obligations in the JIC's ToR, including with respect to the
Designated Areas (per geo-coordinates agreed upon by the Sides) where Syrian
military aircraft cannot operate, except for agreed non-combat flights, and
where the Sides will develop targets for action against Nusra.
5. The Sides will announce the
establishment of the JIC, on the basis of the ToR and Designated Areas agreed
by the Sides, once measures in paragraphs 1-4 above (with exception of the
deployment of UNOPS checkpoints and associated movement of commercial and
civilian traffic on the Castello Road and the implementation of the monitoring
mechanism referenced in paragraph 3(f)) have been implemented to their mutual
satisfaction, including at least seven continuous days of adherence to the CoH.
Ref A - Annex
—The Sides will commence preparatory
work for the JIC, beginning Day D. These preparations will include initial
discussion and sharing of information necessary for the delineation of
territories controlled by Nusra and opposition groups in the areas of active
hostilities for the purpose of the ultimate operation of the JIC. The more
comprehensive process of delineation will be conducted by experts once the JIC
is established. Preparations for the JIC will also include: identifying
suitable interim and long-term premises; determining necessary working
procedures, consistent with the already agreed Terms of Reference (TOR); and
determining if there are mutually agreeable adjustments that should be made,
consistent with changes on the ground, to the already agreed map of the
Designated Areas, so that the JIC can be fully functional as soon as there are
seven continuous days of adherence to the CoH and access to Aleppo as per the
terms of this understanding.
—In the period between Day D and the
establishment of the JIC, the Sides will each develop actionable Nusrah and
Daesh (ISIL) targets so as to be in a position to share them in a way that
allows strikes to commence on the day the JIC is established. Simultaneous with
U.S. or Russian strikes on targets agreed to within the JIC, all Syrian
military air activities - fixed and rotary wing - will be halted in the agreed
designated areas pursuant to the agreed ToR.
—On Day D, the government and opposition
groups that are parties to the CoH shall confirm to the Sides their commitment
to the CoH. Any violation of the CoH before or after the JIC is established
will be dealt with in accordance with the terms for the CoH agreed to in the
Joint Statement of February 22, 2016 and the Standard Operating Procedures to
Support the Cessation of Hostilities of March 28, 2016.
—The Sides commit to expedite the
deployment of UNOPS on Costello Road as agreed in paragraph 3(b).
—Day D will commence at 19:00 Damascus
time on Monday, 12 September, 2016.
—Each Side reserves the right to withdraw
from this arrangement if they believe the terms have not been fulfilled.
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