Damascus to Attend next Geneva Talks, Civilians Flee Homs

Local Editor

Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister, Faisal al-Mekdad, said on Friday that Damascus will take part in a second round of peace talks in Geneva due to start on February 10.

"It has been decided that the delegation of the Syrian republic will take part in the second round of negotiations in Geneva," state news agency SANA quoted al-Mekdad as saying.

Meanwhile, about 200 people are expected to leave a besieged area of the Syrian city of Homs on Friday in the first stage of a humanitarian deal to evacuate civilians and allow aid to be delivered.

Speaking to Syrian state television, Homs governor Talal al-Barazi said the atmosphere was "positive" ahead of the operation which is expected to begin around midday and allow women, children and elderly to leave the besieged old city.

For its part, the United Nations welcomed reports of the agreement on Thursday.
Barazi said the first group would include children under 15-years-old, men over 55, and women. He said reception centers had been set up to receive and treat people leaving the old city, although those evacuated were free to go wherever they liked.

"We are ready today to receive any number, even it exceeds 400, but according to the United Nations yesterday the expected number is 200, or it could be lower," he said.
"We hope this first step will succeed and will continue tomorrow and after tomorrow and so on to ensure safe exit to all civilians who want to leave the old city."
"The atmosphere is positive," Barazi added.

In parallel, the UN made clear that it was not a party to the deal for Homs and while it was ready to send in aid, it did not yet have the go-ahead from the government and opposition sides in Syria's war to move on the reported agreement.
"The United Nations and humanitarian partners had prepositioned food, medical and other basic supplies on the outskirts of Homs ready for immediate delivery as soon as the green light was given by the parties for safe passage," UN spokesman Farhan Haq said in a statement.

Syria earlier said it had reached a deal to allow innocent civilians to leave the Old City of Homs, potentially the first positive result after deadlocked peace talks in Switzerland last week.
"The agreement will allow innocent civilians surrounded in the neighborhoods of Old Homs - among them women and children, the wounded and the elderly - an opportunity to leave as soon as the necessary arrangements, in addition to offering them humanitarian aid," said a Syrian Foreign Ministry statement, cited on Syria TV.
"It will also allow in aid to civilians who choose to stay inside the Old City."
Earlier, the armed groups rejected offers to evacuate women and children in the past.

RIA quoted an unnamed official at Syria's Defense Ministry saying rebel fighters were keeping civilians in the area as human shields.

"As for civilians, we are not holding them up or refusing them humanitarian aid but the terrorists are the problem," it quoted the source as saying. "Terrorists are claiming that there are only civilians in the Old City who need humanitarian aid. In fact, it's terrorists who are mainly there, including foreign militants, using small groups of civilians held as hostages."

Source: News agencies, Edited by website team