The Syrian climb-down came after Washington said the United States and Russian Federation had agreed to push the warring parties to extend their shaky ceasefire, which has seen more than 280 civilians killed in fighting since April 22.
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The envoy met in Geneva with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday and re-emphasized his appeal to Washington and Moscow to renew their efforts to protect and restore the cessation of hostilities in Syria nationwide.
US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Syria’s Bashar al-Assad of “repercussions” if his regime flouts a new truce being negotiated, as talks to halt the violence shifted to Berlin Wednesday.
That prompted the UN Security Council on Tuesday to unanimously adopt a resolution calling on all warring parties to protect medical staff and facilities and to hold violators accountable.
A rebel fighter told the Reuters news agency that some ground had been captured from the government side, while a military source said the attack was repelled.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and his French counterpart, Jean-Marc Ayrault, will also meet United Nations special envoy Staffan de Mistura and Syrian opposition leader Riad Hijab in Berlin to discuss efforts to end the five-year war, which has left more than 270,000 people dead.
Rebel groups largely hold areas in the west while regime forces almost encircle rebel neighborhoods to the east.
Kerry’s statement made it clear that the United States would never accept a transition in Syria that included Assad.
The cessation of hostilities doesn’t apply to the Islamic State group or the Nusra Front, al-Qaida’s Syria affiliate, which operate in parts of Aleppo.
On the Geneva Intra-Syrian talks, Lavrov urged the United States to use its influence over opposition forces, put an end to the use of ultimatums as well as prevent the “brute-force scenario”.
Earlier in the day, the head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation said that the Russian military in Syria and their USA colleagues have found an effective mechanism for ceasefire.
Kerry told reporters Tuesday if Syria doesn’t begin the process of removing Assad by August 1, there will be serious consequences, The Associated Press reports.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said dozens had been killed on both sides in what it described as the most intense battle in the Aleppo region in a year. Government forces were reinforced by allies from Lebanon’s Hezbollah, he said.
A man holds the hand of a girl as they rush out after rebels bombarded government-held areas of Aleppo, Syria, in this handout picture provided by SANA on May 3, 2016.
Fierce clashes raged overnight on the edges of Syria’s second city Aleppo after a major rebel offensive, an AFP correspondent said Wednesday. The party was asking Putin to stop the fighting now taking place in Aleppo.
France and Britain called for the meeting as Russian Federation said a new ceasefire in Aleppo could be announced within hours. He called on Russian Federation to use its influence over President Bashar al-Assad to stop the violence.
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Syria’s civil war erupted in 2011 after Assad brutally suppressed anti-government protests, and quickly escalated into a multi-front conflict.
