The Syrian president made his defiant remarks Monday during a symbolic visit to the former rebel stronghold of Daraya, a now-devastated Damascus suburb.
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BEIRUT, Lebanon-A cease-fire in the Syrian civil war, negotiated by Russian Federation and the United States, officially took effect at sundown on Monday after a weekend of intensified fighting and a vow by the president to retake the entire country.
WASHINGTON (AP) – Confusion reigned Monday over Syria’s new cease-fire as Secretary of State John Kerry said the United States and Russian Federation could permit President Bashar Assad’s government to launch new airstrikes against al-Qaida-linked militants.
The time set for a ceasefire to begin in Syria has passed – beginning what is meant to be a 10-day truce in the war-torn country.
Late Monday, the Istanbul-based opposition National Coalition said efforts to alleviate suffering were “a positive step”, but reiterated the rebel call for “clear monitoring mechanisms” for the truce. He has often referred to opposition members seeking his ouster as “terrorists”. But the two powers also could approve Syrian combat missions against the group, he said. The surge in violence came just hours after the United States and Russian Federation announced a new ceasefire plan.
He also said the Syrian government must allow deliveries of humanitarian aid into besieged areas, including the rebel-held districts of Aleppo.
The ceasefire is the boldest expression yet of hope by the administration of US President Barack Obama that it can work with Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war.
The ceasefire will be renewed every 48 hours and, if it holds for a week, Moscow and Washington will begin unprecedented joint targeting of extremist forces. 2 Both sides will allow humanitarian access to all of the besieged and the hard-to-reach areas.
“This ceasefire was agreed by the opposition over the blood of the martyrs.”
A source in the opposition told Reuters the powerful Islamist group Ahrar al-Sham, which fights in close coordination with Jabhet Fatah al-Sham, would back the cessation of hostilities in an announcement later on Monday.
The U.N. envoy for Syria says his office will monitor the start of a U.S. -Russia-brokered cease-fire in Syria “carefully before making any hurried comments”.
Nationalist rebel groups, including factions backed by Assad’s foreign enemies, wrote to Washington on Sunday to express deep concerns over the truce. Jabhet Fatah al-Sham said the deal aimed to weaken the “effective” anti-Assad forces, and to “bury” the revolution.
Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov said peace talks between opposition groups and the government could resume as early as next month. Lavrov told reporters in Geneva that Assad has given his assent.
Malahfki added that he had not received a response from the USA government.
Pro-government news organisations reported, however, that the Government would not accept all of the ceasefire’s terms, including a requirement that pro-Assad forces retreat from a key road into Aleppo that was seized from the rebels almost two months ago.
The ministry said Moscow would continue its own air strikes against Islamic State and the militant group formerly known as Nusra Front.
“In eastern Aleppo we know a few weeks ago only a third of hospitals were functioning”.
A surge of violence over the weekend in which at least 90 people died compounded scepticism that the ceasefire would result in much more than a temporary lull – and underlined why it is so important to stop the fighting.
According to one Syrian human rights group, more than 2,000 people have been killed in fighting over the past 40 days in the city of Aleppo, including 700 civilians and 160 children.
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“Sure, this is less than ideal”, he said Monday.
