Assad visits troops in eastern Ghouta

Reuters

March 19, 2019

President Bashar al-Assad visited army positions in Syria's eastern Ghouta, Syrian state media report.

"In the line of fire in eastern Ghouta ... President Assad with heroes of the Syrian Arab army," a caption said next to photographs of Assad in a crowd of men in military clothing, some perched on top of tanks.

The photographs were taken on Sunday in a street lined with damaged building fronts with a couple of parked tanks.

Meanwhile the main rebel group in the southern pocket of Syria's opposition-held eastern Ghouta said on Sunday it was negotiating with a United Nations delegation about a ceasefire, aid and the evacuation of urgent medical cases.

"We are engaged in arranging serious negotiations to guarantee the safety and protection of civilians," said Wael Alwan, the Istanbul-based spokesman for Failaq al-Rahman.

"The most important points under negotiation are a ceasefire, ensuring aid for civilians and the exit of medical cases and injured people needing treatment outside Ghouta."

But a general evacuation of civilians and rebels was not on the table, he said.

Figures close to the two main rebel groups - Failaq al-Rahman in the south and Jaish al-Islam in the north - have told Reuters discussions are under way for the transfer of Failaq al-Rahman and Jaish al-Islam fighters to opposition held areas in northern and southern Syria respectively.

After a morning of calm, shelling and ground battles resumed across eastern Ghouta on Sunday afternoon, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The Observatory said about 50,000 had left the southern pocket in the past 72 hours and thousands left on Sunday.

Also on Sunday, state TV said the Syrian army had given a group of rebels in another pocket, the smaller Harasta area, an ultimatum to withdraw.

An opposition official from Ghouta privy to the negotiations told Reuters a delegation had left Harasta and was working out the terms of a deal that would follow previous surrender accords for rebel-held areas subjected to bombardment and siege.

On Sunday afternoon he said there was an agreement in principle and it would be enacted within 24-48 hours.

Local rebels were offered two choices - either to leave to opposition areas in northern Syria or settle their situation and become part of local pro-government militias that would maintain security.

Other terms of the deal would ensure that they handed over their weapons, he added.