Signed agreement presented by the Russian officials to opposition in al-Waer

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Country/entity: Syria
Region: Middle East and North Africa
Agreement name: Signed agreement presented by the Russian officials to opposition in al-Waer
Date: 8 Mar 2017
Agreement status: Unilateral document
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: Government
Peace process: Intra-Syrian Process (state/non-state)
Parties: The Operation Room of al-Waer Neighbourhood:
. Commander of the military mission
. Commander of the group
. Commander of the area

The Russian Centre for Reconciliation
Third parties: -
Description: Template agreement prepared by Russian officials and annotated by hand by a local opposition armed group that pledges to join a peaceful settlement for the national conflict and cease attacks on the Syrian army.

Agreement document: SY_170308_Signed agreement presented by the Russian officials to opposition in al-Waer_TR.pdf (opens in new tab) | Download PDF
Agreement document (original language): SY_170308_Signed agreement presented by the Russian officials to opposition in al-Waer (1).pdf (opens in new tab)| Download PDF

Local agreement properties

Process type: Formal structured process
Rationale: The agreement is a printed template prepared by Russian officials and annotated by hand by a local opposition armed group (Operation Room of al-Waer Neighbourhood). The agreement is part of a long negotiation process between the Syrian regime and its allies and oppositions groups in al-Waer neighbourhood (continuous process since April 2014 and reinvigorated in August 2016).
Is there a documented link to a national peace process?: Yes
Link to national process: articulated rationale: The agreement is a printed template prepared by Russian officials who side with the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad on the conflict. The opposition group pledges to join "the peaceful settlement of the armed conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic".
Name of Locale: al-Waer neighbourhood
Nature of Locale: Smaller
GPS Lat/Long (DD): 34.747192, 36.669832
Participant type: Central 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): No specific mention.
Grievance List: No specific mention.
Cattle rustling/banditry: No specific mention.
Social cover: No specific mention.

Declaration

To join the ceasefire system

I We are the Operation Room of al-Waer Neighbourhood commander of armed Group that controls al-Waer/Homs.

Draw the map of the area that he [the commander] controls

1. I declare my readiness to join the peaceful settlement of the armed conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic.

2. I guarantee that my subordinates, as of 0.00 hours on 7/ March/2017 Damascus time, are ready to stop fighting the Syrian army and stop shelling artillery or any other source of fire.

3. I pledge to secure the safe entry of the group that monitors the ceasefire into the area that I control.

4. [ I pledge] Not to obstruct the entry of humanitarian aid into the area under its control.

The undertakings I referred to above will be implemented by me and my subordinates when the following are carried out:

1. The Syrian army to stop targeting the area I controlled as of 0.00 hrs on / / 2017 Damascus time, whether with artillery or any other source of fire.

2. The Syrian or Russian warplanes to stop targeting the area I controlled during the ceasefire period.

3. [ Syrian regime and Russia] Not impede the ceasefire system to provide humanitarian aid to the area I control.

4. To have representatives from my side participate in the ceasefire monitoring groups.

In the event of disputes regarding the ceasefire violation, and when I get proof of that, I will report this to the local ceasefire monitoring groups and other monitoring groups.

Annexes:

a map of the area controlled by the organization.

Commander of the military mission

Commander of the group The Operation Room of al-Waer Neighbourhood

Commander of the area

To contact:

write an e-mail or any other address [signature]

[Stamp of the Russian Centre for Reconciliation]

The declaration must be sent to the Coordination Centre for the Cessation of Hostilities in the Syrian Arab Republic in Hmeimim Air Base

To email address [email no clear]

Telephone/Fax:

+009634-189-42-18