The United States and Russian Federation announced an agreement early Saturday morning that foresees a nationwide cease-fire in Syria beginning at Sundown on Monday.
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Standing by Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov after a day of marathon talks in Geneva, Kerry said he believed the plan would lead to talks to “stop the conflict”.
He said the nationwide cease-fire would become effective at sundown Monday.
The truce, agreed after a day of marathon talks between Lavrov and his USA counterpart John Kerry, will come into force on Monday.
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Meanwhile, Washington was tasked with persuading “moderate” rebels to break away from the Nusra Front and other extremist groups.
Under the agreement, Russian-backed government forces and opposition groups, supported by the United States and Gulf States, would halt fighting for a while as a confidence building measure.
If the cessation of hostilities remains in effect for seven days, a joint implementation center will be established that will be used to separate terrorists from moderate opposition groups, “after which joint aerial strikes by Russian and American air forces will be devised against terrorist groups”, Lavrov said.
“Despite all the problems, despite the mistrust, despite the attempts to disrupt what we agreed today, we have been able to work on a package of documents”, Lavrov said.
He said Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government was informed of the accord, and prepared to comply.
Both sides have failed to deliver their ends of the bargain over several previous truces.
“Only the Russian and American air forces will work in these zones”, Lavrov said.
Russia, in response, has chafed at America’s financial and military assistance to groups that have intermingled with the Nusra Front on the battlefield. “It is profoundly in the interests of the United States”.
Pentagon and US intelligence officials have spoken out against the idea of closer military cooperation with Russian Federation, in particular the sharing of locations of opposition groups that have fought to topple Assad.
The proposed level of U.S. He then presented journalists with several boxes of pizza, saying: “This is from the U.S. delegation”, and two bottles of vodka, adding: “This is from the Russian delegation”.
The Geneva negotiating session, which lasted more than 13 hours, underscored the complexity of a conflict that includes myriad militant groups, shifting alliances and the rival interests of the USA and Russia, Saudi Arabia and Iran, and Turkey and the Kurds.
The ceasefire plan could make a significant difference in Rebel-held Aleppo, Syria’s most populous city and an area that has seen a recent uptick in violence.
Forty days of fighting in Aleppo has killed almost 700 civilians, including 160 children, according to a Syrian human rights group.
And in another major blow to the rebels, the top military commander of the Army of Conquest, the largest rebel alliance, was killed in an air strike during a meeting of the leaders of the anti-government group, Islamist sources said on Thursday.
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The United Nations said on Friday the Syrian government had effectively stopped aid convoys this month and the besieged city of Aleppo was close to running out of fuel, making the talks even more urgent.
