Syrian Regime Leader Bashar al-Assad
A Russian delegation led by the country's special envoy for Syria, Alexander Lavrentyev, met Syrian regime leader Bashar al-Assad in Damascus on Sunday.
According to a statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry, the two sides discussed the results of the four-nation Istanbul Summit which took place on Oct.27.
They also discussed issues pertaining to the establishment of the constitutional committee, the statement said.
The Istanbul Summit, hosted by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron, called for a constitutional committee on Syria for free and fair elections in the war-torn nation.
Russian and Syrian participants of the talks agreed to continue their works for removing obstacles on the track of forming the committee, it added.
Syria has only just begun to emerge from a devastating conflict that began in 2011 when the Assad regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.
A United Nations aid convoy on Saturday reached the Rukban refugee camp in Syria, next to the border with Jordan, where thousands of people are stranded in the desert, a member of the camp's local council said."The first convoys have entered the camp," said Abu Abdullah, a member of the civilian council that runs the camp and has coordinated with the U.N. on humanitarian aid convoys.Rukban, located close to the Tanf U.S. military base in the desert near where the borders of Syria, Jordan and Iraq converge, is home to more than 50,000 people whose last U.N. aid convoy arrived in January.Refugees from Raqqah want to return to their homelandThe camp was last month besieged on the Syrian side of the border by the Syrian army, preventing smugglers and traders from delivering food. A U.S.-backed opposition group controls the area but it abuts Jordan's border and is encircled by the Syrian army.Jordan has put a block on aid crossing the frontier after allowing the January delivery through its territory, and says it should not be held responsible for conditions in the camp.U.N. relief trucks had planned to deliver aid to Rukban a week ago after gaining clearance from Damascus, but were delayed for logistical and security reasons, the United Nations said.Shortages of food and medicine at the camp have caused at least a dozen deaths in recent weeks; the United Nations described conditions there as "concerning" and said thousands of lives were at risk.Turkey may position howitzer batteries in Syria, says defense analyst
UN aid trucks reach remote Rukban camp in Syria
Killing of a local tribal leader in alleged armed attack by the terrorist YPG/PKK group has risen tension in Raqqa city of war-torn Syria.Following the assassination of its leader Bashir Faisal al-Huwaidi, members of Sabha tribe on Sunday called for boycott of YPG/PKK, which is held responsible for the attack, in the region.Al-Huwaidi -- known opposed to the terrorist group -- was killed on Saturday in Raqqa.Many other regional tribes have also joined Sabha's condemnation of the attack, announcing their support for the boycott until the culprit is revealed.Refugees from Raqqah want to return to their homelandTurkey calls on US to terminate engagement with PYD/YPGYPK/PKK terror in RaqqaFor the past year, the YPG/PKK has oppressed and terrorized Raqqa’s local population -- as it has in other areas under its control.It has forcibly recruited civilians into its ranks and has prevented many local residents from rebuilding their homes, many of which were destroyed last year by intense coalition airstrikes.The YPG/PKK, however, does not provide any public services, while residents accused of having links with the opposition frequently face arbitrary detention.In a report published last December, the U.K.-based Syrian Network for Human Rights said a total of 2,323 civilians had been killed in Raqqa in the period from November 2016 to October 2017.Erdoğan calls on terrorists to leave Syria's ManbijUN aid trucks reach remote Rukban camp in SyriaTurkey may position howitzer batteries in Syria, says defense analyst
Syrian tribes call for boycott of YPG/PKK in Raqqa