Assad prayed the special prayers of the Eid al-Adha holiday, or the Feast of Sacrifice, in the town of Daraya, which has recently witnessed the evacuation of rebels, who had been controlling it for almost four years.
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In August, rebels and their families fled Daraya after years of indiscriminate barrel bombing and skirmishes, surrendering it to the Assad regime, the Independent reported.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s pledge came at the start of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha on Monday and the Turkish leader says the aid will be delivered along specific routes at sundown.
The ministry, speaking hours before the cessation of hostilities was due to take effect in Syria, also said a joint U.S.
Previous peace agreements crumbled within weeks, with the United States accusing Mr Assad and his allies of attacking opposition groups and civilians. Russian Federation and the USA will also set up a joint centre to fight militant outfits such as the Islamic State group and the Jabhat Fateh al-Sham ten days after the end of fighting and the delivery of aid to the region.
Syria’s main opposition group the High Negotiations Committee – grouping political dissidents as well as armed rebel factions – had yet to formally respond. The agreement stipulates that beginning Monday morning, all parties in Syria will begin a “genuine reduction of violence”, for a period of one week.
Cooperation with Fateh al-Sham, formerly al Qaeda’s Nusra Front, could bring “dire consequences” for Syria’s mainstream rebel groups once a proposed U.S.
Under the agreement, Russian-backed government forces and opposition groups, which are supported by the United States and Gulf States, would halt fighting for a while as a confidence building measure.
Government troops and insurgents fought in several parts of Syria on Sunday, apparently seeking to strengthen their positions on the eve of a ceasefire that Free Syrian Army rebels said they would observe but with major reservations.
“Nobody among the Syrian population accepts this agreement”, he said.
The government has made no comment on the agreement, but Syrian state media quoted what it called private sources as saying the government had given its approval. Over 2,000 people have been killed in fighting over the past 40 days in the city, including 700 civilians and 160 children, according to a Syrian human rights group.
In the aftermath on Sunday, rebels and opposition activists were asking whether the government’s side could be trusted.
– These measures can only be implemented if “groups within the legitimate opposition… distance themselves in every way possible from” the two jihadist groups, he said.
The rebels and their families left for the rebel-held city of Idlib, while civilians who wanted to stay with the government were taken to government-run shelters south of Damascus.
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“Given the experience of a few months ago, the ceasefire must be sustainable… and must not be exploited as an opportunity for terrorist groups to revive their power and transfer fighters and weapons”, he added, referring to a truce that collapsed earlier this year.
