Marathon Syrian talks underway amid military buildup

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Marathon negotiations are underway to try to reach a settlement with rebels in the Eastern Ghouta region of the Syrian capital, Damascus, the pro-government al-Watan newspaper reported on Sunday.

At the same time, the Syrian military is staging a buildup of forces on the outskirts of the area in case the talks falter.

Russia is acting as mediator, said the paper, adding that the negotiations have been called for by the rebels who are under pressure from the Syrian military.

Debris of buildings is seen after the Syrian regime's airstrikes and ground attacks on Harasta town in the besieged Eastern Ghouta in Damascus on February 17, 2018. /VCG Photo

The situation in the Eastern Ghouta has flared up over the past two months since the rebels, including the al-Qaida-linked ones, unleashed a massive offensive against a key Syrian military base in the Harasta city in Eastern Ghouta.

The rebels' mortar attacks have rained down the capital Damascus, while the Syrian military's shelling and airstrikes hit several areas in Eastern Ghouta, prompting the UN to send several appeals for a one-month cessation of hostilities to allow for the entry of relief aid to affected civilians.

The situation has, however, been calm over the past three days amid talk of military reinforcements being sent to the outskirts of the area.

A picture taken on February 17, 2018 shows a man walking next to another pushing a bicycle loaded with a carpet, down a rain-soaked street past damaged and destroyed buildings in the Syrian rebel-held enclave of Arbin in the Eastern Ghouta near the capital Damascus. /VCG Photo

Syrians in the capital have for long been calling for the elimination of the rebels' mortar attacks, which, in many cases, have paralyzed the lives of the people in eastern Damascus neighborhoods.

But if the negotiations fail, the capital may witness some of the most intense military showdowns of Syria's seven-year-long conflict.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency