Standing by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov after a day of marathon talks in Geneva, Kerry said he believes the plan will lead to talks to “stop the conflict” and could mark a “turning point” if it is faithfully carried out by all sides.
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“The current situation shows that diplomats should be more creative than just responding by sanctions, sanctions and sanctions again on any aggravation of the situation”, Lavrov told a news conference in Geneva.
A second US official said that while Kerry would try to make progress, “patience is not infinite” and the United States would not simply keep talking if a conclusion was not reached “relatively soon”.
He said the agreement would prevent the air forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from flying combat missions anywhere that the opposition is present, calling this provision the “bedrock of the agreement” and labeling Assad’s air force the “main driver of civilian casualties” and migrant flows, CNN reported.
The Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, said helicopters dropped crude barrel bombs.
The United States and Russian Federation early Saturday announced a breakthrough agreement on Syria that foresees a nationwide cease-fire starting on Monday, followed a week later by an unlikely new military partnership targeting the Islamic State and al-Qaida as well as new limits on President Bashar Assad’s forces.
“Going after Nusra is not a concession to anyone”.
In northern Syria, a Turkish tank was struck during fighting between Turkey-backed Syrian opposition forces and Islamic State militants, killing three soldiers, according to military officials.
The deal requires both the rebels and the regime in Damascus “to meet their obligations”, Mr Kerry said.
“We must go after these terrorists”, Kerry said.
Mr Kerry said all sides in the conflict would need to adhere to the nationwide truce.
Smoke rises over the Saif al-Dawla district of Aleppo in 2012.
“This requires halting all attacks, including aerial bombardments, and any attempts to gain additional territory at the expense of the parties to the cessation”, he said.
Russian Federation has insisted that opposition groups separate from al Qaeda linked militants in cities such as Aleppo.
“We are getting threats for humanitarian convoys from oppositionists who are based in Aleppo”, Lavrov said. They treated at least 70 people for breathing difficulties.
Kerry said the USA and Russian Federation are calling for the Syrian government and the opposition to respect a nationwide ceasefire to take effect on Monday.
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The marathon meeting was the fourth such encounter between U.S. and Russian diplomats in the past fortnight, as the world strained to see whether there might at last be a formula for ending the five-year civil war in Syria, which has already claimed 500,000 lives and triggered the largest refugee crisis since the Second World War.
