Deal to establish Syrian "de-escalation zones" comes into effect

He said they would be allowed to fly only in eastern Syria over Islamic State group-held areas, apparently excluding the entire western spine of the country.

Russia's military says the agreement setting up four de-escalation zones in Syria will go into effect.

"And it is not a coincidence that the United States has welcomed the result of the Astana meeting - an agreement to create de-escalation zones", Lavrov said.

Under the Russian plan, Assad's air force will halt flights over the designated areas across the war-torn country.

The zones appear meant to halt conflict in specific areas between government forces and rebels, and would potentially be policed by foreign troops, Reuters said. Rebels fighting to topple Assad are enraged by Iran's role in the deal and blame the Shiite power for fueling the sectarian nature of Syria's conflict, now in its seventh year.

"We want Syria to maintain its integrity", opposition delegate Osama Abu Zaid told Reuters.

U.S. Defense Department spokesman Major Adrian Rankine-Galloway told VOA on Friday that "we certainly welcome any effort, any global effort to reduce the violence, to allow humanitarian assistance to reach those areas of Syria that need them, and ultimately a political resolution to the ongoing crisis there". A State Department envoy was at the talks in Kazakhstan where the deal was reached, though the United States was not one of the signers of the agreement.

The largest de-escalation zone, in northern Syria, includes Idlib province and adjoining districts of Hama, Aleppo and Latakia with a population of over 1 million, the memorandum text said.

The U.S. and Russian Federation signed the memorandum in 2015 when Russian Federation began its air operations in the country. It doesn't prevent frictions between Turkish troops and their Syrian allies from clashing or going after the US -backed Syrian Kurds. They also include some of the areas where Turkey, a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally, has skirmished with Kurdish militias that are backed, sometimes with airstrikes, by the United States.

Controversially, Russia said US-led coalition aircraft would be banned from these zones, which Washington reportedly brushed off late Friday.

Russian Federation is a staunch ally of Assad and is conducting airstrikes against targets in the country to help Syrian government forces fight militant groups.

According to the agreement, the "de-escalation areas shall be created with the aim to put a prompt end to violence, improve the humanitarian situation and create favourable conditions to advance political settlement of the conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic". The area, south of Latamneh, is expected to be part of the deal. "What deal?" he scoffed. Adrian J.T. Rankine-Galloway. ISIS is an alternative acronym for the Sunni militant group. He did not elaborate.

Russia, Turkey and Iran will still be permitted to fight terrorist groups within the safe zones, according to a copy of the agreement obtained by dpa.

Berry reported from Moscow.