Staff writer, Al Arabiya, 19 January 2017 – Sources from Al Arabiya’s al Hadath Channel announced that the governor of Damascus and a German envoy by the German embassy in Damascus who is also a delegate for the International Red Cross, met with civilian members and military personnel for the Barada valley; to mediate between the rebels and the forces of the regime, aiming for a ceasefire between the parties.
As a result, the delegation agreed on several clauses with the Barada valley rebels, the agreement has been signed by both parties.
The terms of the agreement specify a complete ceasefire, to end all military operations in the Barada Valley within a period not exceeding one hour. They also agreed to have maintenance workers in Ein Fijah, which was badly damaged by the regime strikes during the past few days.
The Syrian regime forces had surrounded the Barada Valley for about a month, which is the water supply for the capital, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, on Thursday.
Director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdul-Rahman, disclosed to AFP that: “After some advancement on the northern side on Wednesday, the regime forces, along with their militia and Hezbollah besieged the Barada Valley today.”
He pointed out that the regime forces encircled the area, “after they managed to separate it from the regions under the influence of the rebels in the Qalamun area.”
A military source told AFP that “The Barada Valley is in siege after the Qalamun road was cut off from the northern side.”
