Syrian government backers Iran and Russian Federation, and rebel supporter Turkey, on Thursday signed a deal during talks in Kazakh capital Astana setting up four "de-escalation zones" in Syria.
The largest of the four de-escalation zones is in northern Syria and includes Idlib province and adjoining districts of Latakia, Aleppo and Hama with a total population of over 1 million, the ministry said.
The second is in the north of central Homs province, where rebels hold a stretch of territory, with the third covering the eastern Ghouta area, a rebel stronghold outside the capital Damascus.
The deal - which was agreed on Thursday and published today - will see four "de-escalation zones" established for a period of six months.
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.
The new deal was penned by Turkey, which mainly backs Syrian rebels, as well as Russian Federation and Iran, which both support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Syria's war has claimed more than 300,000 lives since it erupted in 2011.
The group also said the deal was an attempt to neutralize rebel-held areas and give Syrian government troops the military victories they could not achieve on the battleground.
The Observatory did not give any details, but activists said a rocket was sacked into the rebel-held area from Syrian regime posts.
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The High Negotiations Committee (HNC), the main Syrian opposition umbrella group, criticised the plan as vague and illegitimate.
There is no clear mechanism to resolve conflict and violations- like most other previous deals struck by backers of the warring sides.
The Pentagon said the de-escalation agreement would not affect the USA -led air campaign against IS.
During an interview with the Mir television channel, Russian Foreign minister said that the United States itself has proposed to stop violence in Syria.
The State Department said it welcomed any "genuine" effort to reduce fighting but said it continued to "have concerns about the Astana agreement, including involvement of Iran as a so-called "guarantor". Disputes about who can fly planes and when - "subtle professional issues", the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, called them recently - are likely to continue under the new deal.
The United Nations will support de-escalation, said the spokesman but he did not elaborate.
It doesn't prevent frictions between Turkish troops and their Syrian allies from clashing or going after the USA -backed Syrian Kurds. Adrian J.T. Rankine-Galloway, a Pentagon spokesman.
"The cease-fire guarantor states announce that the memorandum on the establishment of de-escalation zones in Syria provides the creation of security zones to stop violence, improve humanitarian situation and create conditions for the advancement of the process and political settlement of the Syrian conflict", Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov said.
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