Syrian Opposition Movement Wants Iran Out of Eastern Ghouta Monitoring Group

The monitoring of Eastern Ghouta de-escalation zone in Syria is likely to be carried out by the United States and Russia without Iran, Mahmoud Afandi, secretary of the opposition Popular Diplomacy Movement, close to Syria negotiating process, told Sputnik on Saturday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The agreements on the order of functioning of the Eastern Ghouta de-escalation zone in Syria have been signed following the talks in Cairo between representatives of the Russian Defense Ministry and the Syrian opposition, mediated by the Egyptian side.

"The monitoring of the zone is likely to be carried out without Iran. There will be only US and Russian sides," Afandi said.

On July 7, Lavrov announced that experts from Russia, the United States and Jordan agreed on a memorandum on the establishment of a de-escalation zone in Syria's southwestern provinces following the first face-to-face meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump. The ceasefire came into force on July 9.

Russia, Iran and Turkey are guarantors of the Syrian ceasefire regime. The countries signed a memorandum on the establishment of four safe zones in Syria, which came into force on May 6. The four zones span the northwestern Idlib province and parts of the neighboring Latakia, Hama and Aleppo, the north of the central Homs province, Eastern Ghouta near Damascus, as well as southern Daraa and Quneitra regions.