Planned cessation of hostilities in Syria to come into effect on Feb 26
AMN /
United States and Russia have announced that a planned cessation of hostilities in Syria will come into effect at midnight on February 26th. Their statement said, the truce did not include so-called Islamic State and the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front.
World powers agreed on February 12th that a truce would come into effect within a week, but that deadline passed and scepticism remains over the new plan. More than 2 lakhs 50 thousands Syrians have been killed in the conflict which began in March 2011. Separately, Syria’s government has called a parliamentary election for April, 13th. The last was in 2012 and they are held every four years.
The White House said, President Barack Obama had phoned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to discuss the efforts to establish the cessation of hostilities. After their phone call yesterday, the joint Russian-US statement was released. The statement said, Air strikes by Syria, Russia and the US-led coalition against IS, Nusra and other terrorist organisations designated by the UN would continue.
A deadline for a previous cease-fire came and went last Friday without a halt in hostilities. Kerry was engaged in a flurry of diplomatic activity over the weekend in order to broker the deal.
He held three phone conversations with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, regarding the parameters for the cease-fire, according to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Those details were shared with President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the ministry said in its statement.
The presidents spoke by phone Monday at the Kremlin’s request, the White House said. While welcoming the agreement, Obama “emphasized that the priority now was to ensure positive responses by the Syrian regime and armed opposition.”
Moscow intervened in the Syrian conflict last September on the side of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, supplying him with much-needed air support, which has paved the way for a Syrian government advance in the country.
Turkey Welcome
Turkey will respond positively to the cease-fire agreement reached between the U.S. and Russia over the Syria conflict, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said Monday.
Addressing a news conference following a Cabinet meeting chaired by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Monday, Kurtulmus said: “The announcement of the cease-fire and starting of the cease-fire process is positive for us also”.