Ceasefire could see light east of Damascus

A ceasefire could take place between the Syrian troops and the rebels in the eastern countryside of the capital Damascus as of Thursday, a monitor group said Wednesday.

"It's expected that an agreement will be reached within the next hours about a ceasefire in the Eastern Ghouta countryside of Damascus between the Syrian regime and several rebel factions," the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

It added that the ceasefire, if agreed upon, will last for 15 days as a trial period, which could be extended if the initial ceasefire succeeded.

Other activists' reports said the deal will include a full halt of the military operations in Eastern Ghouta and Damascus, adding that the truce is being negotiated under a Russian mediation.

Activists said a Russian delegation had entered Ghouta in recent days and met with leaders of several rebel groups, mainly the so-called Islam Army.

They said the negotiated ceasefire comes just days after international powers agreed in Vienna on establishing a ceasefire in Syria, which excludes the Islamic State (IS) terror group and the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, as both have been deemed terrorist groups that should be eliminated.

Meanwhile, Syria's Minister of National Reconciliation Ali Haidar, while didn't totally deny the claims, said talks about a ceasefire in Ghouta "up till this moment are rumors," in what appeared to be a matter under discussion but has not yet been agreed upon.

The legal adviser of the rebels Free Syrian Army, Osama Abu Zaid, said the ceasefire will start on Thursday as a gesture of goodwill, where the Russians guarantee that the regime will not shell any area in Eastern Ghouta or target it during 15 days.

He said the truce will include also the entry of aid convoys to the besieged areas in Ghouta.

Further information about the rumored truce is still forthcoming.

If true, the truce will mark the first concrete result of the international efforts to reach a ceasefire in Syria, as a prelude to an inclusive political settlement to the country's long-running conflict.

Eastern Ghouta is a sprawling terrain, largely agricultural, which was among the first areas to fall to the rebels in the early times of the nearly five-year-old conflict. Rebels in Ghouta are responsible for the blind mortar shelling that target the capital on daily basis.

Reaching a truce with rebels there means the capital will be safe from the mortar shelling, which would be a sign that a broader ceasefire in Syria is possible. Endit