Syria's de-escalation zones closed to US-led aircrafts - Lavrentyev

MOSCOW, May 5 (KUNA) -- Russia's delegation and the president's special envoy for Syrian settlement, Alexander Lavrentyev said on Friday that the planned de-escalation zones in Syria will be closed to the US-led coalition's aviation.
"The case is that in the de-escalation zones the work of aviation, especially the coalition forces, is absolutely not envisaged, with or without notification," he stressed.
The only place where the coalition's aviation can operate is certainly on targets of the Islamic State (terrorist group, outlawed in Russia)," the envoy said.
"The aviation is located in the area of concentration of forces of this group near Raqqa and other settlements, near the Euphrates and Deir ez-Zor." "As for their actions in the de-escalation zones, currently all of them are closed for their flights," the head of Russia's delegation stressed.
The memorandum on de-escalation zones does not mention this, but flights are halted above these territories, he said.
"As guarantors, we will thoroughly monitor all actions along this course," Lavrentyev vowed. (end) as.mb