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NZ welcomes ceasefire deal in Syria, but coming days will be ‘crucial’

Syrian men search for victims at the scene of a reported air strike on the rebel-held northwestern city of Idlib on September 10, 2016.

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US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the truce would come into force on Monday, the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid Al-Adha.

“Iran supports any ceasefire and peace plan to end the humanitarian crisis in Syria or limit it that involves a political solution. based on the Syrian people’s votes”, said Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Jaberi Ansari, quoted by the state news agency IRNA.

The opposition High Negotiations Committee said it had yet to receive the deal’s “official” text.

A senior member of the main Syrian opposition umbrella group said Saturday it hopes a new U.S.

Both Kerry and Lavrov said the complex plan is the best chance to end the five-year war that has killed more than 290,000 people and seen millions flee to neighboring countries. Rebel-held parts of Aleppo are under full siege and two major suburbs of Damascus have been taken out of rebel control after an agreement was reached with the government.

U.S. special envoy to the Syrian crisis Michael Ratney appealed to rebel groups to commit to the deal, saying it was the “best way” to save lives.

Local civil defence personnel told Reuters that bodies were still being removed from the rubble of buildings destroyed in the strikes.

Both warring sides would pull back from the strategic Castello Road in Aleppo to create a demilitarized zone, while opposition and government groups would both have to provide safe and unhindered access via Ramouseh in the south of the city.

Cooperation with Fateh al-Sham, formerly al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front, could bring “dire consequences” for Syria’s mainstream rebel groups, Washington’s envoy to Syria has warned.

“We are closely following this agreement and are waiting for its details to know the conditions of its implementation”, Kodmani said by telephone.

Ms Kodmani said the rebels would break ranks with the militants if the truce deal held.

The vexed question of Assad’s fate remains, with Western powers calling for his removal and Russian Federation backing him. “This is not a reflection of ideological affinity as much as it is merely a military necessity”, he said.

Since spring 2015, most of Idlib Province has been held by an alliance of rebel groups known as the Army of Conquest.

The toll included 13 women and 13 children, it said.

Idlib province has endured escalating strikes by Russian planes in recent months, according to global aid workers and residents, destroying scores of hospitals, bakeries and other infrastructure across rebel-held territory.

“Nobody among the Syrian population accepts this agreement…”

“I am very optimistic because this truce is not like the previous one, it categorises the opposition groups between terrorist and moderate”, he said.

“In particular, it’s vital that the regime in Damascus now delivers on its obligations, and I call on Russian Federation to use all its influence to ensure this happens”.

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The army attacked rebel-held areas, both sides said, pushing to maximise gains before the ceasefire deadline.

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