Syrian government reaches deal for insurgents to leave Homs

PanARMENIAN.Net - Syrian government officials said on Tuesday, December 1, they had agreed on a deal for opposition fighters to withdraw from the last insurgent-held area of the city of Homs with their weapons as part of a local ceasefire agreement, Reuters reports.

Sources told Reuters earlier on Tuesday that Syrian and United Nations officials had been meeting in Homs, a major battleground on Syria's north-south highway, to try to finalize a deal following a ceasefire in the city's Waer district.

It was not immediately clear whether representatives of armed groups had been directly participating in the meeting.

Reuters was unable to immediately contact insurgents in the area following the announcements by Syrian officials.

Homs Governor Talal al-Barazi told state news agency SANA that negotiations had taken place with "special committees" for reconciliation.

There have been a number of local ceasefire deals and attempts to secure them in parts of western Syria this year in the absence of a national solution to the nearly five-year conflict which has killed some 250,000 people.

"We are now waiting for the logistical preparations that will contribute to the successful implementation" of the deal, said Ali Haidar, minister for national reconciliation.

"What is more important than the details is that the process starts to build trust with those who are willing to exit. Then there will be procedures for the safe and secure exit and this will build trust with local people in Waer," he added.

The deal would also allow humanitarian assistance to reach the district, the source said.