Saraqib Agreement

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Country/entity: Syria
Region: Middle East and North Africa
Agreement name: Saraqib Agreement
Date: 27 Feb 2018
Agreement status: Multiparty signed/agreed
Interim arrangement: Yes
Agreement/conflict level: Intrastate/local conflict
Syrian Conflicts (1948 - ) (1976 - 2005) (2011 - )
The agreements relate to three different conflict contexts. Israel-Syria and Syria-Lebanon. The Syrian-Israeli conflict was a key factor for the Syrian intervention during the Lebanese Civil War, with Syrian-backed Palestinian Liberation Army units intervened in 1976 against the Palestinian/Leftist militias. Following a massacre at Tel al-Zaatar that year, Syria was forced to accept a ceasefire at a meeting of the Arab League. However, the Arab League also mandated an Arab Deterrence Force, consisting of mostly Syrian soldiers with token contributions from other Arab League states, thus further legitimizing the Syrian presence in Lebanon. During a second bout of fighting that began in 1989, caused by the formation of rival Lebanese regimes in East and West Beirut, the Syrian-backed regime won and in 1991 the ‘Treaty of Brotherhood, Cooperation and Coordination’ was signed to legalize the Syrian occupation as a means to ensure the security of Syria. Syrian forces were forced to withdraw in 2005 following possible involvement in the assassination of Lebanon’s President Hariri.

Syria-internal. In 2011, domestic upheaval following a wave of protests across the Arab World soon led to violent repression of protestors by Syrian government troops. The violence progressed steadily and by July 2011 the Free Syrian Army (FSA) was formed consisting of defected military units and new recruits. The FSA and rebel umbrella group known as the Syrian National Council represented the first attempt at coordinating rebel factions in late 2011. However, a steady influx of foreign fighters and increased sectarianism radicalised opposition groups, which relied on foreign funding. The nature of the conflict changed drastically in late 2013 as infighting among the opposition groups increased. One of the more significant developments was the split between the al-Qaeda outfits the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, ISIS), and Jabhat al-Nusra in early 2014 in addition to the intensified targeting of other rebel factions by ISIS fighters in particular, including the Kurdish Peshmerga, the FSA and other jihadist outfits. Since the summer of 2014, the conflict was further internationalized when ISIS announced the formation of an Islamic state eroding the state line between Iraq and Syria and also in mid-2015 when Russian forces intervened on behalf of the Bashar al-Assad government in Damascus.
Stage: Ceasefire/related
Conflict nature: Inter-group
Peace process: Syrian Local Agreements
Parties: Hayat Tahrir al-Sham;
Committee of the Saraqib people
[14 signatories]
Third parties: -
Description: Short agreement between local committee and fighter from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham for the withdrawal of HTS from the city. The five points provide for the evacuation of HTS; a removal of their checkpoints; civilians will cooperate with local rebels to maintain security; the exemption of Saraqib from external aggression; that HTS will not pass through the city.

Agreement document: SY_180227_Saraqib Islamist Withdrawal Agreement_EN.pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF
Agreement document (original language): SY_180227_Saraqib Islamist Withdrawal Agreement_AR.pdf (opens in new tab)| Download PDF

Local agreement properties

Process type: Isolated example
Rationale: -> Local issues only; no external support mechanism; no culture of signing The agreement seems to be the result of a once-off negotiation that relates to a specific city. It does not appear that any national or regional mechanism was established to support the negotiation. Finally, the agreement does not seem to relate to a persistent practice or culture of signing agreements.
Is there a documented link to a national peace process?: No
Link to national process: articulated rationale: The declaration does not contain any mention to the wider peace process in Syria; although it involved the representation of civilian constituencies.
Name of Locale: Saraqib
Nature of Locale: City
GPS Lat/Long (DD): 35.864321, 36.807689
Participant type: Local state actor
Local armed group
Mediator, facilitator or similar: No mention of mediator or similar

Local issues

Ritual/prayer and process (including use of scripture): Page 1, In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate

Page 1, Glory be to Allah who said: “Peace is good.”
And according to the words of the Prophet -peace be upon him-: “And the Muslims will be held to their conditions.”

Page 1, ... keenness to save lives and to prioritise the interest of Muslims in the interest of the faction.

Page 1, We ask God [illegible] and we ask God to save all Muslims from strife.
Grievance List: Page 1, [illegible] keenness to save lives and to prioritise the interest of Muslims in the interest of the faction.
We agreed with them on the following:
1. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) will evacuate all headquarters inside the city.
2. There will be no HTS military checkpoints inside the city.
3. Civilians will cooperate with the city's rebels [...] to maintain the city’s security and control the [...]1 violations.
4. The military emergency prevents the city from any aggression from outside and from any misguidance.
5. Not passing through the city.
Cattle rustling/banditry: No specific mention.
Social cover: No specific mention.

In the name of God, most Gracious, most Compassionate

Glory be to Allah who said:

“Peace is good.”

And according to the words of the Prophet -peace be upon him-:

“And the Muslims will be held to their conditions.”

A legitimate and local committee was formed by the Saraqib people. [

illegible] with the brothers of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham who supported us against [illegible] and supported our demands. [

illegible] keenness to save lives and to prioritise the interest of Muslims in the interest of the faction.

We agreed with them on the following:

1. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) will evacuate all headquarters inside the city.

2. There will be no HTS military checkpoints inside the city.

3. Civilians will cooperate with the city's rebels [...] to maintain the city’s security and control the [...]1violations.

4. The military emergency prevents the city from any aggression from outside and from any misguidance.

5. Not passing through the city.2

We thank the brothers for [...] and we also appreciate their keenness to save lives.

We ask God

[illegible] and we ask God to save all Muslims from strife.

[14 signatures including HTS]