Leaders of Iran, Russia and Turkey are due to meet in Tehran on Friday, with Syria high on their agenda.

Of the three countries due to meet in Tehran, Turkey is the only one hosting large numbers of Syrian refugees.

Ankara supports some of the armed fighters in Idlib and is worried a military solution will mean more displaced civilians.

Zein Basravi looks ahead to the talks.</s>MOSCOW, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Iran’s speaker of parliament said on Thursday he hoped the presidents of Russia, Turkey and Iran would reach a final agreement on Syria’s rebel-held enclave of Idlib at a summit in Tehran on Friday, Russian news agencies reported.

“I really hope that at the summit tomorrow in Tehran, in which (President Vladimir) Putin is going to take part, he will be able to reach a certain final agreement with his colleagues on the events happening in Idlib,” Iranian speaker Ali Larijani was quoted as saying by RIA during a trip to Russia. (Reporting by Maria Kiselyova Writing by Tom Balmforth)</s>TEHRAN (Reuters) - The presidents of Turkey, Iran and Russia on Friday failed to agree on a ceasefire that would forestall a Syrian government offensive in the rebel-held Idlib province which the United Nations fears could cause a humanitarian catastrophe involving tens of thousands of civilians.

Turkey’s Tayyip Erdogan, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Iran’s Hassan Rouhani, meeting in Tehran for a summit of key foreign players in Syria’s war, agreed in a final statement that there could be no military solution to the conflict and it could only end through a negotiated political process.

But as Syrian government and Russian warplanes mounted air strikes in Idlib on Friday morning in a possible prelude to a full-scale offensive, Putin and Rouhani pushed back against Erdogan’s call for a truce.

The Turkish leader said he feared a massacre and Turkey could not accommodate any more refugees flooding over its border.

Putin said a ceasefire would be pointless as it would not involve Islamist militant groups it deems terrorists. Rouhani said Syria must regain control over all its territory.

Idlib is the insurgents’ only remaining major stronghold and a government offensive could be the war’s last decisive battle.

Tehran and Moscow have helped Assad turn the course of the war against an array of opponents ranging from Western-backed rebels to the Islamist militants, while Turkey is a leading opposition supporter and has troops in the country.

Their discussions in Tehran mark a crucial point in a seven-year-old war which has killed more than half a million people and forced 11 million to flee their homes.

Erdogan, in his opening remarks, said a ceasefire in Idlib would be a victory for their summit.

Putin responded: “The fact is that there are no representatives of the armed opposition here around this table. And more still, there are no representatives of Jabhat al-Nusra or ISIS or the Syrian army.

“I think in general the Turkish president is right. It would be good,” he said. “But I can’t speak for them, and even more so can’t talk for terrorists from Jabhat al-Nusra or ISIS that they will stop shooting or stop using drones with bombs.”

In a series of tweets following the summit, Erdogan said resorting to methods that would disregard civilian lives would “play into the hands of terrorists.”

“If the world turns a blind eye to the killing of tens of thousands of innocent people to further the regime’s interests, we will neither watch from the sidelines nor participate in such a game,” he said.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a meeting with Putin on Friday that Iran and Russia can work together to restrain America, according his official website.

“One of the issues that the two sides can cooperate on is restraining America,” Khamenei said. “Because America is a danger for humanity and there is a possibility to restrain them.

“The Americans have faced a real defeat in Syria and have not reached their goals,” he added.

In the final statement, the three agreed on the need to eliminate Islamic State, the Nusra Front and other groups linked to al Qaeda and designated as terrorists. But there were other armed opposition groups that could join any ceasefire agreement, they said.

The communique also called on the United Nations and the international community to step up humanitarian aid to Syria and help in restoring basic infrastructure assets.

President Vladimir Putin of Russia, Hassan Rouhani of Iran and Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey attend a news conference following their meeting in Tehran, Iran September 7, 2018. Kirill Kudryavtsev/Pool via REUTERS

Efforts must be made to protect and to create conditions for the safe return of refugees, it added.

“HORRIFIC, BLOODY BATTLE”

Iran’s Rouhani said the battle in Syria would continue until rebels were pushed out of the whole country, especially in Idlib, but he added that any military operations should avoid hurting civilians.

“The fight against terrorism in Idlib is an indispensable part of the mission to return peace and stability to Syria, but this fight should not harm civilians and lead to a ‘scorched-earth’ policy,” Rouhani said.

Erdogan said Turkey no longer had the capacity to take in any more refugees from Syria should the government offensive in Idlib go ahead. Turkey has accepted 3.5 million refugees from Syria since the start of the war in 2011.

“Whatever reason there is an attack that has been made or will be made will result in disaster, massacre and humanitarian drama,” he said. “Millions will be coming to Turkey’s borders because they have nowhere to go. Turkey has filled its capacity to host refugees.”

The Assad government was not directly represented at the summit, nor were the United States and other Western powers.

The United States came in for criticism from all sides, however, highlighting the complex nature of a conflict involving a myriad of factions.

Rouhani said the United States should end its presence in Syria, while Erdogan said Turkey was “extremely annoyed” by Washington’s support for the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, which Ankara considers as terrorists linked to Kurdish separatists in Turkey.

Widely abhorred internationality for the brutal conduct of the war, Assad has largely reclaimed most of Syrian territory though much of it is ravaged. Although the West has long said he must stand down or be removed, that looks unlikely at this point.

Slideshow (9 Images)

Meanwhile, the fate of Idlib hung in the balance.

The United Nations Security Council met to discuss Idlib on Friday at the request of the United States, and U.N. Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura said there were “all the ingredients for a perfect storm.”

“The dangers are profound that any battle for Idlib could be, would be a horrific and bloody battle,” de Mistura said.</s>MOSCOW (Reuters) - Iran’s speaker of parliament said on Thursday he hoped the presidents of Russia, Turkey and Iran would reach a final agreement on Syria’s rebel-held enclave of Idlib at a summit in Tehran on Friday, Russian news agencies reported.

“I really hope that at the summit tomorrow in Tehran, in which (President Vladimir) Putin is going to take part, he will be able to reach a certain final agreement with his colleagues on the events happening in Idlib,” Iranian speaker Ali Larijani was quoted as saying by RIA during a trip to Russia.</s>GENEVA (Reuters) - The presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey - the main outside players in Syria’s long war - meet in Tehran on Friday as rival factions in the rebel-held province of Idlib prepare for what could be the conflict’s last great battle.

With Syrian government forces backed by Russian air power preparing an offensive against the insurgents in their last major stronghold, the United Nations has warned an assault could lead to a humanitarian catastrophe.

Beyond that concern, the three leaders will be seeking to safeguard their own interests after investing heavily militarily and diplomatically in Syria.

“The battle for Idlib is going to be the final major battle,” said Hilal Khashan, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut.

“It will be waged irrespective of civilian casualties, even though they will make an effort to minimize it.”

Tehran and Moscow have been President Bashar al-Assad’s main backers and have helped him turn the course of the war against an array of opponents ranging from Western-backed rebels to Islamist militants.

Turkey is a key opposition supporter. But the United States and other Western governments involved in the conflict will not be attending the summit.

Nonetheless, Russia’s Vladimir Putin, Turkey’s Tayyip Erdogan and Iran’s Hassan Rouhani will be making decisions on what could be a turning point in a seven-year-old war which has killed more than half a million people and forced 11 million to flee their homes.

For Tehran, helping the Assad government re-establish control over Idlib would justify its expenditure of blood and treasure and solidify its position in Syria for years to come, analysts said.

It would also send a message to hawkish officials in Washington, one of the Islamic Republic’s principal goals in hosting the meeting in Tehran, they say.

“Tehran is trying to communicate the message to Washington that it is indispensable when it comes to wider security issues in the Middle East region,” said Ali Alfoneh of the Arab Gulf States Institute in Washington.

Russia is looking to the summit as a means of clarifying the military situation in Idlib, deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Wednesday.

Russian officials have also stated clearly that militants must be pushed out of Idlib. The most powerful jihadist group there is the Tahrir al-Sham alliance, spearheaded by al Qaeda’s former Syrian affiliate, previously known as the Nusra Front.

The fate of the Nusra Front and other foreign Islamists will be one of the top issues at the summit, a senior official in the alliance backing Assad told Reuters.

Turkey, for its part, aims to find a “permanent solution” to the conflict in its southern neighbor through the discussions, President Tayyip Erdogan said.

Ankara has said an all-out assault on Idlib would be a humanitarian disaster and could lead to another wave of refugees pouring across the border into Turkey.

It has urged Russia, which resumed air strikes on the insurgent-held region this week, to hold back and prevent government forces and their allies from launching a ground offensive.

Turkey agreed with Russia and Iran last year to make Idlib a “de-escalation zone” of reduced conflict and sent in army units to erect a string of observation posts along the frontlines between the rebels and the army.

They now act as a tripwire for any Syrian government assault, potentially triggering an escalation with Turkey if there is no political deal.

The Islamic Republic is also keen to hammer out boundaries with Turkey in Friday’s meeting, analysts said.

“Finding a mutually acceptable formula with Turkey would be key for the Iranians in the upcoming meeting,” said Ali Vaez, Iran project director at the International Crisis Group.</s>TEHRAN (Reuters) - The presidents of Turkey, Iran and Russia on Friday failed to agree on a ceasefire that would forestall a Syrian government offensive in rebel-held Idlib province which the United Nations fears could cause a humanitarian catastrophe involving tens of thousands of civilians.

Turkey’s Tayyip Erdogan, Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Iran’s Hassan Rouhani, meeting in Tehran for a summit of key foreign players in Syria’s war, agreed in a final statement that there could be no military solution to the conflict and it could only end through a negotiated political process.

But as Syrian government and Russian warplanes mounted air strikes in Idlib on Friday morning in a possible prelude to a full-scale offensive, Putin and Rouhani pushed back against Erdogan’s call for a truce.

The Turkish leader said he feared a massacre and Turkey could not accommodate any more refugees flooding over its border.

Putin said a ceasefire would be pointless as it would not involve Islamist militant groups it deems terrorists. Rouhani said Syria must regain control over all its territory.

Idlib is the insurgents’ only remaining major stronghold and a government offensive could be the war’s last decisive battle.

Tehran and Moscow have helped Assad turn the course of the war against an array of opponents ranging from Western-backed rebels to the Islamist militants, while Turkey is a leading opposition supporter and has troops in the country.

Their discussions in Tehran mark a crucial point in a seven-year-old war which has killed more than half a million people and forced 11 million to flee their homes.

Erdogan, in his opening remarks, said a ceasefire in Idlib would be a victory for their summit.

Putin responded: “The fact is that there are no representatives of the armed opposition here around this table. And more still, there are no representatives of Jabhat al-Nusra or ISIS or the Syrian army.”.

“I think in general the Turkish president is right. It would be good. But I can’t speak for them, and even more so can’t talk for terrorists from Jabhat al-Nusra or ISIS that they will stop shooting or stop using drones with bombs.”

In the final statement, the three agreed on the need to eliminate Islamic State, the Nusra Front, and other groups linked to al Qaeda and designated as terrorists. But there were other armed opposition groups who could join any ceasefire agreement, they said.

The communique also called on the United Nations and the international community to step up humanitarian aid to Syria and help in restoring basic infrastructure assets.

Efforts must be made to protect and to create conditions for the safe return of refugees, it added.

Iran’s Rouhani said the battle in Syria would continue until rebels were pushed out of the whole country, especially in Idlib, but he added that any military operations should avoid hurting civilians.

He called on all rebels in Syria to disarm and seek a peaceful end to the conflict.

“The fight against terrorism in Idlib is an indispensable part of the mission to return peace and stability to Syria, but this fight should not harm civilians and lead to a “scorched-earth” policy,” Rouhani said.

Erdogan said Turkey no longer had the capacity to take in any more refugees from Syria should the government offensive in Idlib go ahead. Turkey has accepted 3.5 million refugees from Syria since the start of the war in 2011.

“Whatever reason there is an attack that has been made or will be made will result in disaster, massacre and humanitarian drama,” he said. “Millions will be coming to Turkey’s borders because they have nowhere to go. Turkey has filled its capacity to host refugees.”

The Assad government was not directly represented at the summit, nor were the United States and other Western powers.

The United States came in for criticism from all sides, however, higlighting to complex nature of a conflict involving a myriad of factions.

Rouhani said the United States should end its presence in Syria, while Erdogan said Turkey was “extremely annoyed” by Washington’s support for the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia, whom Ankara considers as terrorists linked to Kurdish separatists in Turkey.

Widely abhorred internationality for the brutal conduct of the war, Assad has largely reclaimed most of Syrian territory though much of it is ravaged. Although the West has long said he must stand down or be removed, that looks unlikely at this point.

Meanwhile, the fate of Idlib hung in the balance.

The United Nations Security Council met to discuss Idlib on Friday at the request of the United States, and U.N. Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura said there were “all the ingredients for a perfect storm”.

“The dangers are profound that any battle for Idlib could be, would be a horrific and bloody battle,” de Mistura said.</s>TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The Latest on Syria talks in Iran (all times local):

Syrian pro-government media reported that nine civilians have been killed by shells fired from rebel areas south of the province of Idlib on a government-held town.

Syria state news agency SANA said they were killed when the missiles struck into a residential area in Mhardeh town in the northern countryside of Hama. Hama lies to the south of Idlib, and several of its villages and towns remain under rebel control.

Warplanes, including suspected Russian ones, hit rebel areas in northern and southern Idlib earlier Friday, killing at least five, including one civilian, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The violence comes on the day that the presidents of Iran, Turkey and Russia are meeting to discuss the fate of the last rebel stronghold in Idlib and surrounding areas in Hama.

The director of U.N. humanitarian operations is warning that if a military offensive takes place in Idlib and millions of people start fleeing, aid operations to help them will be overwhelmed.

John Ging told the U.N. Security Council on Friday this worst-case scenario "has the potential to create a humanitarian emergency at a scale not yet seen through this crisis," now in its eighth year.

He urged council members to ask the parties to cease hostilities in the Idlib de-escalation zone which includes parts of Idlib, Aleppo, Latakia and Hama governorates and includes some 3 million people, about 2.1 million already in need of humanitarian aid.

Ging also called for protection of civilians, humanitarian and medical personnel, hospitals, schools and other infrastructure as well as freedom for people to move, access for aid deliveries, and increased funding.

While donors including Britain and Germany have recently provided resources, he said, the U.N. is still "woefully short of the $311 million that we estimate is required if there is an increase in violence resulting in mass displacement."

Ging said humanitarian aid is being prepositioned inside Idlib and in surrounding areas, and "plans are in place to support up to 900,000 women, children and men that could be affected by conflict."

He warned that if millions of people flee Idlib, however, it "will overwhelm all capacity to respond regardless of plans or funding made available."

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday after a trilateral meeting between Iran, Russia and Turkey to discuss the war in Syria.

In the Friday report carried by the leader's website, Khamenei.ir, he said that the United States is worried about the formation of an "Islamic authority."

"America is concerned about the cooperation of Islamic countries and the formation of an Islamic authority," Khamenei was quoted as saying.

Khamenei added that this fear underlies America's hostility toward Islamic countries, according to the report.

The U.S. ambassador to the U.N. is warning Syria and its allies Russia and Iran that "the consequences will be dire" for an assault on the last major stronghold for Syrian rebels in Idlib.

Nikki Haley told the U.N. Security Council on Friday that an offensive against Idlib is starting despite warnings from President Donald Trump and other world leaders, including Russian and Syrian airstrikes against civilian areas.

"The United States has been very clear, with Russia and with the broader international community: we consider any assault on Idlib to be a dangerous escalation of the conflict in Syria," Haley said.

"If (Syrian President Bashar) Assad, Russia, and Iran continue, the consequences will be dire," she said.

Haley said Syria must halt its offensive, and Russia and Iran have the power to prevent "this catastrophe."

Eight aid agencies have called on world leaders to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe in Syria's northwestern Idlib province, where the Syrian government is threatening a military offensive.

The agencies called on leaders of the Iran, Russia and Turkey meeting in Tehran and members of the U.N. Security Council meeting later in New York to work together to find a diplomatic solution that can protect civilians, aid workers and allow access to humanitarian agencies to the overcrowded province and surrounding areas.

More than 3 million live in Idlib and its environs, many of them already displaced by conflict elsewhere in Syria.

The agencies, including CARE, Mercy Corps and the International Rescue Committee, said the "most vulnerable" are likely to pay the heaviest price in case of an offensive. They said aid workers working in Idlib are already overwhelmed trying to provide basic needs and shelter to the province's population, which has doubled in size in recent months because it is hosting displaced citizens from all over Syria.

The U.N. envoy for Syria says any proposal to avoid Idlib becoming "the biggest humanitarian tragedy at the end of the most horrible recent conflict in our memory" must be given a chance — and he has some ideas on how to separate "terrorists" from civilians.

Staffan De Mistura is also calling for "protected voluntary evacuation routes" for civilians if they want to leave Idlib.

He told the U.N. Security Council Friday that talk of a military offensive on Idlib "is happening at exactly the same time when there is serious talk" on moving to establish a committee to draft a new Syrian constitution and encourage the return of Syrian refugees.

De Mistura said these are incompatible.

"Either we are trying to find a political way to end this war and move to a post-war political scenario or we will see this war reach new levels of horrors."

He said that's why Friday's meeting of the leaders of Russia, Iran and Turkey in Tehran is so important and why he will be meeting with the three countries in Geneva on Monday and Tuesday — and next Friday with Egypt, France, Germany, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Britain and the United States.

It would be a failure of diplomacy "if with these efforts we simply saw an increase of military activities," De Mistura said.

Turkey's president says his country does not have the "strength or capability" to host millions of more refugees from Idlib.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that a call for terror groups in Idlib to lay down arms was a strong message to them and would help halt refugee flows.

"We have to take joint steps to prevent the migration, we need to be successful in the fight against terrorism," Erdogan said.

"Turkey is already sheltering 3 ½ million refugees (from Syria). The population of Idlib is 3 ½ million. Turkey doesn't have the strength or capability to host 3 ½ million more," he added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says it is "unacceptable" to use civilians as a pretext to shield "terrorists" in Syria's rebel-held Idlib.

Speaking at the end of a trilateral summit with the leaders of Iran and Turkey Putin said Russia is worried about civilians in Idlib but said Russian finds it "unacceptable" when civilians are used a pretext to "shield terrorists" and target Syrian government positions.

Russia has been a key backer of Syrian President Bashar Assad and has indicated its support for Assad to regain control of Idlib which is the last remaining bastion of the opposition

Turkey's president is calling for a cease-fire and an end to airstrikes amid a looming campaign for Syria's Idlib province.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan made the comments Friday at a trilateral meeting between Iran, Russia and Turkey in Tehran.

Meanwhile, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says "we have to force the United States to leave" Syria.

Rouhani did not elaborate on the comment, which he made while speaking about Idlib. America has some 2,000 troops in Syria.

Friday's summit may determine whether diplomacy halts any military action ahead of an anticipated offensive targeting the northwestern Syrian province.

Idlib province and surrounding areas are home to about 3 million people — nearly half of them civilians displaced from other parts of Syria. That also includes an estimated 10,000 hard-core fighters, including al-Qaida-linked militants.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the fight in Syria should continue until all extremists are "uprooted," especially in Idlib.

Rouhani made the comment Friday at a trilateral summit between Iran, Russia and Turkey held in Tehran.

The summit may determine whether diplomacy halts any military action ahead of an anticipated offensive targeting the northwestern Syrian province.

Idlib province and surrounding areas are home to about 3 million people — nearly half of them civilians displaced from other parts of Syria. That also includes an estimated 10,000 hard-core fighters, including al-Qaida-linked militants.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says America's intervention in Syria should immediately end.

Rouhani made the comment Friday at a trilateral summit between Iran, Russia and Turkey held in Tehran.

Rouhani also said that "the fires of war and bloodshed in Syria are reaching their end."

The presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey have begun a summit on Syria as a bloody offensive on Idlib province looms, despite warnings from the U.S. and others not to launch the attack.

The summit Friday between Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may determine whether diplomacy halts any military action ahead of an anticipated offensive targeting the northwestern Syrian province.

Idlib province and surrounding areas are home to about 3 million people — nearly half of them civilians displaced from other parts of Syria. That also includes an estimated 10,000 hard-core fighters, including al-Qaida-linked militants.

Iran, Russia and Turkey all have their own competing interests over Syria. All also face U.S. sanctions under the administration of President Donald Trump.

Residents in Syria's northwestern Idlib province are holding mass rallies in the rebels' last bastion, protesting an imminent government offensive there and chanting against the country's ruler President Bashar Assad.

The Friday rallies came as Presidents of Iran, Turkey and Russia are meeting in Tehran to discuss the war in Syria. The summit may determine whether diplomacy halts any military action in Idlib and its surrounding areas, home to more than 3 million people. Nearly half of the area's residents are already displaced from other parts of Syria and have refused to reconcile with the Syrian government. The area also includes opposition fighters and some of Syria's most radical groups.

"Come on, leave Bashar!" hundreds of protesters chanted in Saraqeb, a town in eastern Idlib. "We will defend our revolution."

A spokesman for a Syrian rebel alliance says the least the summit in the Iranian capital can do is avert a humanitarian crisis in the last bastion for the opposition in northwestern Syria.

Naji al-Mustafa, spokesman for the Turkey-backed National Front for Liberation, said Friday his fighters are prepared for battle. But they expect a major humanitarian crisis, a large wave of displacement and a lot of destruction and death if a Russia-backed offensive takes place.

Idlib and surrounding areas are home to more than 3 million people, nearly half of them already displaced from other parts of Syria.

Al-Mustafa said his rebel alliance is looking to Turkey's efforts to prevent the attack and "to protect Idlib." Turkey has deployed 12 observations points and hundreds of fighters that ring Idlib, separating them from government and allied fighters, as part of a de-escalation agreement with Russia and Iran.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan have both arrived in Tehran for a trilateral summit on Syria.

The two presidents landed at Mehrabad International Airport.

They will attend the summit with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

The summit may determine whether diplomacy halts any military action ahead of an anticipated offensive targeting Syria's northwestern Idlib province.

Activists and residents say warplanes have struck areas on the southern edge of the Syrian Idlib province, the rebels' last bastion, killing one and causing loud explosions and large plumes of smoke.

The airstrikes Friday come hours before presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey meet in Tehran to discuss the war in Syria, with all eyes on a possible military offensive to retake bastion of Idlib.

Rami Abdurrahman, the head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said a series of airstrikes struck a few villages in southwest Idlib and along the borders with the adjacent Hama province, targeting insurgent posts and killing a fighter. Abdurrahman said suspected Russian warplanes carried out the airstrikes.

Idlib province and surrounding areas are home to more than 3 million people.

The spokesman for Iran's Foreign Ministry is calling a summit on Syria between Iran, Turkey and Russia an "invaluable opportunity."

Bahram Ghasemi wrote an opinion piece published across Iranian media on Friday that the summit in Tehran helps as all the nations "have faced similar challenges and joint threats by bullying foreign powers."

Ghasemi wrote: "The summit has double significance since all the three nations have faced ambitions and greediness of an illogical international big power." That refers to the United States, which has some 2,000 troops in Syria after its war against the Islamic State group.

The summit Friday between Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may determine whether diplomacy halts any military action ahead of an anticipated offensive targeting Syria's northwestern Idlib province.

The presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey will meet in Tehran to discuss the war in Syria, with all eyes on a possible military offensive to retake the last rebel-held bastion of Idlib.

The summit Friday, the third between Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, may determine whether diplomacy halts any military action.

Northwestern Idlib province and surrounding areas are home to about 3 million people — nearly half of them civilians displaced from other parts of Syria. That also includes an estimated 10,000 hard-core fighters, including al-Qaida-linked militants.

Iran, Russia and Turkey all have their own competing interests over Syria. All also face U.S. sanctions under the administration of President Donald Trump.</s>TEHRAN (Reuters) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday that he opposed a ceasefire in the rebel-held Syrian enclave of Idlib because Nusra Front and Islamic State militants located there were not part of peace talks.

Speaking at talks in Tehran with his Iranian and Turkish counterparts, Putin said the Syrian government, a close Russian ally, should regain control over all of its territory.</s>TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey begin summit on Syria as bloody Idlib offensive looms.</s>ANKARA: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan called for a ceasefire in the rebel-held region of Idlib in northwest Syria on Friday and said an anticipated government assault on insurgents there could result in a massacre.

But Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said Moscow opposed a truce, and Iranian leader Hassan Rouhani said Syria must regain control over all its territory. The three presidents, whose countries’ are key foreign players in Syria’s long civil war, were speaking at a summit in Tehran aimed at charting a way to end the conflict.

The situation in Idlib, the insurgent’s only remaining major stronghold, is an immediate issue as President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, backed by Russia and Iran, prepare for what could be the conflict’s last decisive battle.

The United Nations has warned an assault could lead to a humanitarian catastrophe. But as the leaders gathered in Tehran, Russian and government warplanes hit rebel-held parts of Idlib, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said.

Tehran and Moscow have helped Assad turn the course of the war against an array of opponents ranging from Western-backed rebels to Islamist militants, while Turkey is a leading opposition supporter and has troops in the country.

Their discussions in Tehran could mark a turning point in a seven-year-old war which has killed more than half a million people and forced 11 million to flee their homes. In opening remarks, Erdogan called on Putin and Rouhani to agree to a ceasefire in Idlib, saying such an accord would be a "victory" of their summit.

However, Putin responded that he opposed a ceasefire because Nusra Front and Islamic State militants located there were not part of peace talks. Syria should regain control of all its territory, he said.

"The fact is that there are no representatives of the armed opposition here around this table. \And more still, there are no representatives of Jabhat al-Nusra or ISIS or the Syrian army," Putin said. "I think in general the Turkish president is right. It would be good. But I can’t speak for them, and even more so can’t talk for terrorists from Jabhat al-Nusra or ISIS that they will stop shooting or stop using drones with bombs.

Rouhani also said the battle in Syria would continue until militants are pushed out of the whole country, especially in Idlib, but he added that any military operations should avoid harming civilians.

He called on all militants in Syria to disarm and seek a peaceful end to the conflict. The Assad government was not directly represented at the summit, nor was the United States or other Western powers.

Widely abhorred internationality for the brutal conduct of the war, Assad has largely reclaimed most of Syrian territory though much of it is ravaged. As the conflict approaches its endgame, Iran, Turkey and Russia are seeking to safeguard their own interests after investing heavily militarily and diplomatically in Syria. "The battle for Idlib is going to be the final major battle," said Hilal Khashan, a political science professor at the American University of Beirut. "It will be waged irrespective of civilian casualties, even though they will make an effort to minimise it.
The presidents of Russia and Iran disagree with the Turkish president's proposal for a ceasefire in Idlib after meeting in Tehran, because it would not include the Islamist militants those nations aim to defeat.