The Syrian opposition on Saturday cautiously welcomed the ceasefire deal agreed by Moscow and Washington that could also see the first joint military campaign by the two powers against hardline groups in the war-torn country.
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According to the details spelled out in Geneva, after seven consecutive days of calm and the delivery of humanitarian aid, the United States and Russian Federation will start working on a plan to carry out coordinated air attacks against terrorist groups – notably the former al-Qaida affiliate previously known as Nusra as well as the Islamic State.
“If implemented, the arrangement negotiated by Secretary Kerry could achieve a sustained cessation of hostilities, help ease the suffering of the Syrian people and address the immediate humanitarian catastrophe in Aleppo”, the Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson hailed the agreement, brokered in Geneva between U.S. secretary of state John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, as a chance for the country to rid itself of the scourge of terrorism.
The United States and Russian Federation reached a deal on a new Syrian ceasefire, which, if it holds, could see the first joint military effort by the two powers against militants.
Russian Federation and Iran are both providing crucial military support to President Assad against rebels and jihadi fighters in Syria’s civil war.
In the Mideast, the main Syrian opposition umbrella group said it hoped the new U.S.
A rebel fighter stands near a vehicle in Quneitra countryside, Syria September 10, 2016.
Washington, which backs a coalition of rebels it regards as moderate, has repeatedly said that Assad must step down to ensure an enduring peace deal, although its calls for him to go have been less frequent in the past few years.
“Going after Nusra is not a concession to anybody; it is profoundly in the interest of the United States to target al Qaeda”, Kerry said, saying the group was planning attacks both in and outside of Syria, including ones directed at the United States.
The agreement envisages joint US-Russian military strikes against militant groups in Syria, including Daesh.
At least 90 people were killed in airstrikes in northern Syria just hours after the United States and Russian Federation reached an agreement on a ceasefire, set to begin on Monday, authorities announced.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 58 people were killed in raids on various neighbourhoods of Idlib city, including a market, but it was not immediately clear who carried out the strikes.
Kodmani said the rebels would break ranks with the jihadists if the truce deal held.
Kerry said if all sides follow the parameters of the plan, it could be a “turning point” for Syrians and lead to a possible political resolution.
The statement said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had “closely followed” the process to secure the ceasefire, following talks with Russian and USA counterparts Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama on the sidelines of the G20 in China.
The Assad government in Damascus announced late on Saturday that it had agreed to the ceasefire terms, Syrian state media reported.
“The moderate groups will reorganise and distance themselves from the radical groups”.
Staffan de Mistura, the United Nations special envoy for Syria, supported the agreement.
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Syrian government forces will end combat missions in some rebel-held parts of the country under a “cessation of hostilities”.
