Evacuation of rebels from Damascus' Harasta city awaits militiamen consensus: minister

DAMASCUS, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The planned evacuation of rebels from the city of Harasta in the Syrian capital Damascus' Eastern Ghouta area is awaiting consensus among the militiamen in that area after an agreement was recently made, Ali Haidar, the Minister of National Reconciliation, told Xinhua on Tuesday.

The deal for the evacuation of rebels from Harasta, which is under the control of Ahrar al-Sham and Failaq al-Rahman rebels, should have seen light two days ago, but the rebels didn't honor the agreement, Haidar said.

"The agreement is ready and all it needs is to enter into force and we are waiting for the rebels to reach a consensus to start implementing the agreement," Haidar said.

The minister said all measures are ready for the evacuation of the militants from Harasta.

"Everything is ready and the starting point begins with the rebels and this could happen at any moment and it could also be hindered like it happened for the first time," he noted.

The minister said the agreement with the rebels to abandon their positions to rebel-held areas in northern Syria is the result of the progress made by the Syrian army in Eastern Ghouta in recent days.

He said the Russians are handling the mediation and direct talks.

Eastern Ghouta, a 105-square-km agricultural region consisting of several towns and farmlands, poses the last threat to the capital due to its proximity to government-controlled neighborhoods east of Damascus and ongoing mortar attacks that target residential areas in the capital, pushing people over the edge.

Four major rebel groups are currently positioned inside Eastern Ghouta, namely the Islam Army, Failaq al-Rahman, Ahrar al-Sham, and the Levant Liberation Committee, known as the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front.

The UN humanitarian agencies have sounded the alarm about the worsening humanitarian situation for 400,000 people in that region.

But with the progress of the Syrian army, which captured 80 percent of Eastern Ghouta in the recent days, thousands of civilians are evacuating their areas in Eastern Ghouta on daily basis, seeking refuge in government-run shelters, while condemning the rebels' presence in their areas. Enditem