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51-420: Until February 2009, the sub-districts of Ayn al-Fijah and al-Dimas were part of Al-Zabadani District before being incorporated to form the newly established Qudsaya District . The town-resort of Bloudan in the al-Zabadani district is a favourite tourist destination for locals and foreigners. The district of al-Zabadani is divided into three sub-districts or nawāḥī (population as of 2004): According to

102-588: A deal on establishing a cease fire between the Syrian Assad government and a US-supported coalition of so-called 'mainstream Syrian opposition rebel groups' including umbrella group 'High Negotiations Committee' (HNC) , effective from 12 September, while jointly agreeing to continue attacks on Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (former al-Nusra Front) and Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). After US-led coalition airstrikes on Syrian Army troops on 17 September, of which

153-789: A neutral venue and "a natural home" for peace negotiations on Syria. The latest major effort to bring about an end to the war started in October 2019 in Geneva with the convening of the Syrian Constitutional Committee to draft a new constitution for Syria under the auspices of the United Nations. In November 2011–January 2012, the Arab League (AL) twice tried to accomplish an end to Syrian government (and opposition) violence and convince both parties to start talks instead of fighting. After

204-582: A new peace resolution aiming to resolve the Syrian civil war. but a consensus was not reached between the leaders. Lakhdar Brahimi , an Algerian diplomat, appointed on 1 September 2012, as the new UN–Arab League special representative for Syria , appealed on both the Syrian government and the armed opposition to stop the killing during the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha , which fell that year probably on 26 October 2012 , and 3 or 4 days after it. Government and most of

255-528: A representative of China, British Foreign Secretary Hague, and Kofi Annan. Mr Annan, issuing a communiqué , said that the conference agreed on the need for a "transitional government body with full executive powers" which could include members of the present Syrian government and of the opposition. William Hague said that all five permanent members of the UN Security Council —the US, Russia, China, France and

306-538: A solution for the Syrian conflict, after Russia and China had vetoed a 4 February 2012 UN Security Council resolution . The group held four meetings, all in the year 2012. The Kofi Annan peace plan (Joint Special Envoy for the United Nations and the Arab League), launched in March 2012, intended to commit both the Syrian government and opposition to a cease fire and commit the Syrian government to initiate deliberations with

357-587: A week later. The deal set out the Terms for a Cessation of Hostilities in Syria. Russia and the U.S. proposed that the cessation of hostilities commence at 00:00 (Damascus time) on 27 February 2016. The ISSG countries are supposed to monitor compliance with the terms of the truce, which was pronounced as of 29 February 2016, when the ISSG task force met in Geneva, to be largely holding. On 10 September 2016, Russia and U.S. reached

408-549: Is made up of six localities with a combined population of 19,584. Its inhabitants are predominantly Sunni Muslims . The town was built around the Ain al-Fijah springs ( Greek : πηγη , romanized :  Pigi , means " Spring "), the source of the Barada River which supplies Damascus with freshwater. In the 1st century CE, the Romans constructed a temple at Ain al-Fijah. In 1907,

459-617: Is that there is no dialogue with (President Bashar al-Assad)". In February 2012, Martti Ahtisaari held talks with envoys of the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council . During those discussions, the Russian ambassador, Vitaly Churkin , proposed a three-point plan that would bring the Syrian government and opposition to the negotiation table and result in Assad stepping down as president. But, according to Ahtisaari,

510-595: The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), the following villages, towns and cities make up the district of al-Zabadani: This article about a location in Rif Dimashq Governorate , Syria is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Ayn al-Fijah Ain al-Fijah ( Arabic : عين الفيجة , also spelled Ayn al-Fijeh and Ein Al Fejeh ) is a small town in southern Syria , administratively part of

561-647: The Geneva II Conference on Syria took place, organised by then-UN envoy to Syria Lakhdar Brahimi . On 30 October 2015, further talks started in Vienna involving officials from the U.S., the EU , Russia, China and various regional actors such as Saudi Arabia , Egypt , Turkey and, for the first time, Iran . Peace talks with rebel leadership continued in Astana , Kazakhstan in 2017. The Kazakh officials are offering Astana as

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612-504: The Ottoman authorities installed the first clean-water pipe at the springs. In 1924 Syrian businessmen Lutfi al-Haffar and Abd al-Wahab al-Qanawati founded the Ain al-Fijah Company, which would use water from the spring for irrigation purposes. Throughout the early 20th century, the company was one of the most profitable and innovative in Damascus. Ain al-Fijah came into the spotlight during

663-520: The Rif Dimashq Governorate , located 25 kilometers northwest of Damascus . Nearby localities include Deir Muqaran to the west, al-Zabadani to the northwest, Basimah to the southeast and Qudsaya to the south. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics , the town had a population of 3,806 in the 2004 census. The town is also the administrative centre of—though not the largest town in—the Ain al-Fijah nahiyah ("subdistrict"), which

714-485: The UN Security Council , having overcome the gridlock on Syria that had persisted since October 2011, unanimously passed Resolution 2254 (2015) , endorsing the ISSG 's transitional plan that set out a timetable for formal talks and a unity government within six months; the resolution put UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura in charge of organising Syria talks. However, the major powers remained divided on who should represent

765-541: The 34 members are women, augmented by a women-only advisory body known as the Women's Consultative Committee. France announced that "the Syrian opposition" had reached an agreement and had "adopted a common program" in Riyadh. Apart from France and Saudi Arabia, also Turkey and Qatar supported that 'High Negotiation Committee'. The High Negotiation Committee was tasked with identifying 15 individuals willing and able to serve on

816-528: The Geneva talks, implying a shift towards the Syrian opposition conducting military operations and away from Syrians with only political influence. The talks took place on 23 and 24 January; the first day ended without the sides reaching an agreement. The "Astana Process" talks aimed to support the framework in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolution 2254 , and ended on the 24th with an agreement between Iran, Russia, and Turkey to form

867-528: The International Meeting on Syrian Settlement, sponsored by Russia, Turkey and Iran. Astana was agreed on as the venue, since it was viewed as neutral by all the parties involved. The opposition side included Mohammed Alloush , the political leader of Jaysh al-Islam , which Russia had proposed designating as a terrorist organisation. The start of talks in Astana was described as the "Astana-isation" of

918-581: The Russian foreign ministry suggested "informal" talks in Moscow between the Syrian government and opposition, and said the Syrian authorities had already agreed to the Russian offer. Abdel Baset Seda, a member of the Syrian National Council 's executive committee, told Reuters that the SNC had not received any formal invitation for such talks, but would decline if one arrived: "Our position has not changed and it

969-554: The Secretary of State of Kazakhstan opened the talks in Astana. The Four committees initiative is a proposal put forward by United Nations envoy Staffan de Mistura on 29 July 2015 as a way to start the peace process in the Syrian civil war . There had been no peace talks on Syria since the Geneva II meetings in early 2014 ended in failure. In September 2015 Hezbollah , an ally of

1020-641: The Syrian conflict and bring stability to the Middle East began in late 2011, when the Arab League launched two initiatives, but without much success. Russia in January 2012 and in November 2013 suggested talks in Moscow between the Syrian government and the opposition. In March–May 2012, hopes were on a United Nations /Arab League plan coordinated by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan . In January and February 2014,

1071-449: The Syrian government reached a ceasefire agreement which included measures to repair the water-pumping station and further outlined steps for the amnesty or evacuation of Barada's opposition fighters. However, very shortly after the ceasefire was agreed, it collapsed as government and rebel forces exchanged fire with barrel bombs, mortars and machine gun fire. Airstrikes also reportedly killed women and children. The collapse came just before

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1122-445: The Syrian government's agreement to the AL plan of 19 December the AL sent a monitoring mission to Syria. Violence continued and Saudi Arabia on 22 January withdrew its monitors from the mission, and called on Russia , China and all other states to pressure Syria strongly to adhere to the AL peace plan. The Arab League on 28 January 2012 ended its monitoring mission. On 30 January 2012,

1173-577: The Syrian government, announced a six-month truce between the rebel-held town of Zabadani near Damascus and two Shia towns in the north-west of Syria. The deal was reached after mediation from Iran . On 23 October 2015, the Foreign Ministers of the United States , Russia , Saudi Arabia and Turkey met and talked in Vienna , Austria, to find a way to end the Syrian conflict. On 30 October 2015,

1224-492: The Syrian opposition; no mention was made of the future role of Syrian President Bashar Assad. On 10 December 2015, a two-day meeting started in Riyadh , the capital of Saudi Arabia , aiming at unifying Syria's opposition groups and forming an opposition delegation for the planned negotiations with the Syrian government (see Syria peace talks in Vienna 14 November 2015 meeting ). Syrian Kurdish factions were not represented at

1275-625: The UK—supported Mr Annan's efforts. Clinton however suggested that Syrian dictator Assad could, in such transitional government, not remain in power, which immediately was contradicted by Lavrov. The Geneva talks were condemned by Ahrar al-Sham leader Hassan Abboud . During the 16th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement held from 26 to 31 August 2012 in Tehran , Iran and attended by leaders of 120 countries, Iran intended to draw up

1326-495: The US claimed it was an accident, the Syrian government declared the ceasefire to be over. On 15 October, the U.S., Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar and Iran had talks about the Syrian war , in Lausanne , Switzerland . In mid-December 2016, Vladimir Putin of Russia and Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey agreed to suggest Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, as a new venue for carrying on the Syria peace talks. On 20 December 2016,

1377-662: The US, Britain, and France rejected that proposal, being convinced that fall of Assad's government was inevitable. "It was an opportunity lost in 2012," he said in an interview in September 2015. Other Western diplomats refute Ahtisaari's claims, with one stating, "I very much doubt the P3 [the US, UK and France] refused or dismissed any such strategy offer at the time. The questions were more to do with sequencing—the beginning or end of process—and with Russia's ability to deliver—to get Assad to step down." On 7 November 2013, Russia again announced it

1428-581: The auspices of the UN, co-chaired by Russia and the United States, and issued a joint communique saying inter alia: "An ISSG task force will within one week elaborate modalities for a nationwide cessation of hostilities." On 22 February 2016, in Munich , foreign ministers of Russia and the U.S., as co-chairs of the ISSG, announced that they had concluded a deal to seek a nationwide cessation of hostilities in Syria to begin

1479-569: The board does not participate directly in the negotiations but does advise the UN mediator on all proceedings. The WAB has been criticized for the lack of transparency in member selection, with allegations that it is unrepresentative. The Syrian Women's Network went as far as to withdraw from the WAB based on these critiques. On 12 February 2016, the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) established an ISSG ceasefire task force, under

1530-537: The capital Damascus. The commission said it had found no evidence of deliberate contamination of the water supply or demolition by armed groups, as the Syrian government maintained at the time. Activists in Barada had said that the government and their Russian allies bombed the facility, puncturing the fuel depots and contaminating the water stream. The plant's electrical control systems had also been destroyed. By contrast, Damascus officials said they were forced to shut off

1581-470: The commencement of the International Meeting on Syrian Settlement, a conference held as part of the Syrian peace process in Astana, Kazakhstan . The conference concluded on 24 January, with Bashar Jaafari , the U.N. envoy representing the Syrian government, insisting that the ceasefire beginning in December 2016 did not apply to the territory of Wadi Barada because of the presence of terrorists, something which

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1632-580: The conference in close cooperation with the U.S. and Russia. It started on 22 January 2014 and ended on 31 January; no agreement was reached. In early April, Randa Kassis asked the Kazakh President to host talks in Astana. The President Nursultan Nazarbayev accepted the proposal. This initiative has been criticized by some of Syrian Opposition members. On 25—27 May 2015, a number of Syrian Opposition groups convened in Astana , Kazakhstan The Syrian government chose not to attend. A second conference

1683-581: The conflict are typically representatives of the Syrian Ba'athist government and Syrian opposition , while the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria is usually excluded at the insistence of Turkey . Radical Salafist forces including the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant have not engaged in any contacts on peaceful resolution to the conflict. The attempts to find a solution to

1734-456: The first round of the Syria peace talks were held in Vienna with foreign ministers of 20 countries participating: U.S., Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, China, United Kingdom, France, Italy, Germany and other countries. The ministers agreed on the need of the Syrian government and opposition to start political talks. The second round of the Vienna talks held in mid-November produced an agreement on

1785-640: The foreign ministers of Iran, Turkey, and Russia agreed, pursuant to the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254 (Dec. 2015), to hold Syria peace talks in Astana, Kazakhstan. On 28 December 2016, Turkey and Russia agreed on a nationwide ceasefire plan for Syria to go into effect at 00:00 on 30 December 2016. The Syrian Democratic Council —representing the Syrian Democratic Forces , an alliance of Kurdish, Arab and Syriac militias mostly led by YPG —was not invited to

1836-508: The meeting in Riyadh. Jabhat al-Nusra had not been invited because of its assumed 'terrorist links' or al-Qaeda ties. An agreement emerged on 12 December: 34 opposition groups and individuals allied themselves as 'the High Negotiations Committee '. This included, among others, Ahrar al-Sham and Jaysh al-Islam , but did not include Syrian Kurds and not include some moderate opposition members supported by Russia. Two of

1887-469: The need to convene Syrian government and opposition representatives in formal negotiations under UN auspices with a target date of 1 January 2016. A day after a meeting of anti-government factions, including Ahrar ash-Sham , held in Riyadh , Saudi Arabia, on 10 December produced a statement of principles to guide peace talks with the Syrian government, Syrian president Bashar Assad said he would not negotiate with "foreign terrorists." Russia also rejected

1938-594: The official opposition delegation to the Geneva III negotiations, of which 3 were women. Russia however said that those gathered in Riyadh did not represent all opposition groups and therefore were not in a position to speak on behalf of the entire Syrian opposition. On Friday, 29 January 2016, a UN Peace Conference for Syria started in Geneva in Switzerland . At the first day, Syrian government and opposition refused to sit in

1989-436: The ongoing Syrian Civil War when in December 2016, its water processing facility was destroyed, cutting off supply from the spring and thereby depriving Damascus 70 per cent of its water supply. The Syrian government and the rebels seeking to depose it had previously had an understanding to keep water services running during the war, but this came to an end in mid-December, when government forces launched an offensive to take

2040-469: The opposition groups said 'yes' to his appeal. Yet, according to Brahimi, the lull in the fighting lasted very short, after which both parties accused the other of not having stopped its violence. The Geneva II Middle East peace conference was a United Nations -backed international (peace) conference, aimed at bringing Syrian government and opposition together to discuss a transitional government. Lakhdar Brahimi, UN special envoy to Syria , tried to pursue

2091-483: The opposition on their aspirations and concerns. After Annan on 12 April had assumed that both parties had agreed to a cease fire, the UN already on 1 May had to admit that both parties were violating it. An "action group" conference (now referred to as Geneva I Conference on Syria ) was held on Saturday 30 June 2012, in Geneva, initiated by the then UN peace envoy to Syria Kofi Annan , and attended by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov,

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2142-461: The outcome of the meeting in Riyadh, which it said was unrepresentative and included terrorist groups. After John Kerry visited Moscow where he met his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov as well as Vladimir Putin on 15 December, it was announced that on 18 December 2015 world powers would meet in New York to pass a UN resolution endorsing the principles of the Syria peace process. On 18 December 2015,

2193-463: The rebel opposition denied. Syrian peace process The Syrian peace process is the ensemble of initiatives and plans to resolve the Syrian civil war , which has been ongoing in Syria since 2011 and has spilled beyond its borders . The peace process has been moderated by the Arab League , the UN Special Envoy on Syria, Russia and Western powers . The negotiating parties to end

2244-429: The same room together. On 3 February 2016, UN envoy Staffan de Mistura suspended the peace talks. Russian foreign minister Lavrov commented that "the [Syrian] opposition took a completely unconstructive position and tried to put forward preconditions". Rebel commanders were cited as saying they hoped the peace talks' collapse would "convince their foreign backers, states including Turkey and Saudi Arabia, that it

2295-670: The talks. ISIL, the al-Nusra Front, and the YPG were excluded from the ceasefire, and the following rebel groups signed up for the truce: However, the Ahrar al-Sham spokesman denied having signed the deal. The political efforts by Russia and Turkey were endorsed by the UN Resolution 2336 adopted 31 December 2016. On 23 January 2017, a Syrian opposition delegation that included twelve rebel factions convened with Syria's government delegation, headed by Bashar Jaafari , in Astana for indirect talks titled

2346-458: The town after accusing rebels of contaminating the water supply with petroleum. The spring was destroyed on 22 December, and sources are unclear of who destroyed it, with the government and opposition blaming each other. On March 14, 2017, the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria said that the Syria's air force deliberately bombed water sources in December, a war crime that cut off water for 5.5 million people in and around

2397-407: The town to begin restoring water to the capital after weeks of shortages, and the plan was to fix it in three days. However, fighting continued the following day completely derailing the plan. Armed men killed the head of the negotiation team overseeing the repair agreement, and both sides blamed each other for this. The offensive against Ain al-Fijah continued, and on 19 January, the opposition and

2448-457: The water after rebels contaminated it. Government officials denied attacking the water facility, saying it would not do anything to harm its own population. In either case, the shut-off of the water supply caused a large humanitarian crisis in Damascus, as civilians were forced to rely on ground wells and distribution points for their water. On 15 January 2017, a deal was reached to repair the damage to water supply. Syrian government workers entered

2499-550: Was held in Astana on 2–4 October 2015; the assembled Opposition groups adopted a declaration that called for the parliamentary election scheduled for 2016 to be held under the supervision of the international community; Nursultan Nazarbayev was asked to step in as a mediator in the Syrian conflict. The talks were mediated by Kazakh Deputy Foreign Minister Askar Mussinov and Director of the French Centre for Political and Foreign Affairs Fabien Baussart . Mme Gulshara Abdykalikova,

2550-401: Was time to send them more powerful and advanced weapons, including anti-aircraft missiles ". UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura announced appointment of a 12-woman advisory body, name the Women's Advisory Board (or "WAB" for short) on 2 February 2016. WAB members include opposition, government sympathizers, and Islamist-tending women. The WAB, however, is politically unaffiliated;

2601-442: Was trying to broker talks in Moscow between the Syrian government and opposition, seeing that the U.S. and Russian negotiators failed to agree on whether or not Assad should be forced out of office. Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Bogdanov said, the Moscow talks could focus on humanitarian problems as well on some political issues. In February 2012, the then French President Sarkozy initiated an international "contact group" to find

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