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Army refrains from retaliating to rebel ceasefire breaches: Assad

She did not say who had broken the tentative truce.

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The opposition has yet to say whether it will attend peace talks planned for March 9.

Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that United States military officials at the U.S. Reconciliation Centre in Amman, Jordan, were in constant touch on developments in Syria with officials at Russia’s Hmeymim air base in Syria.

The cease-fire brokered by the United States and Russian Federation is partial and – though it has largely held across Syria – it excludes the Islamic State group as well as Syria’s al-Qaida branch, known as the Nusra Front, and other militant factions that the United Nations considers terrorist organizations. It also said that groups which have declared their adherence to the cease-fire are not being targeted – a remark reinforcing Russia’s repeated denials of targeting moderate rebel groups.

The head of another rebel group, who asked not to be identified for security reasons, said 40 army vehicles loaded with weaponry were seen heading northwards on Thursday night.

The cessation of hostilities agreement was reached by Russian Federation and the US.

More than 270,000 people – among them more than 79,000 civilians – have died in Syria since its conflict erupted in March 2011.

“We’re then able to immediately try to address them and to prevent them from reoccuring and thus to prevent any escalation that leads to the breakdown of the cessation of hostilities”, Blinken said, after talks with U.N. Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura. It depends on the other side”, Assad said, adding that “the terrorists have breached the deal from the first day.

Government operations were “focused on Homs, on the coast mostly”, while Aleppo – the target of a major government offensive a month ago – was relatively calm, he said. The officials said it was premature to say whether the fragile truce could hold and stressed the complexities of the conflict, which has raged for almost five years with a death toll now in excess of 250,000.

Regime forces clashed Tuesday with IS jihadists in the oil-rich eastern province of Deir Ezzor, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The opposition High Negotiations Committee said at least three violations by regime forces on Tuesday and 17 the previous day.

Aleppo witnessed some of the country’s fiercest fighting as government forces backed by Russian airstrikes cut off a rebel supply route from Turkey ahead of the start of the truce. The talks were called off last month after a spike in fighting.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault is convening the meeting in Paris with his German and British counterparts within hours of a visit to France by the Saudi foreign minister.

“I call on all parties to continue to keep their promises and demonstrate their good faith, particularly to allow the delivery of vital humanitarian aid to besieged areas”. Russian Federation has stood by him.

The truce remains fragile amid reports of violations in different parts of Syria.

Asked how Putin had responded, the spokeswoman said there was no detailed discussion on the Syrian president.

“I’ve had a couple of conversations with Foreign Minister Lavrov, and we have agreed that while there have been some number of violations reported on both sides and we take them all very seriously, we do not want to litigate these in a public fashion in the press”, Kerry said.

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The Kremlin said the process was under way, although it had always been clear it would not be easy.

Syria peace talks postponed to March 9: UN