Hopes of securing a temporary truce in Syria within a week dimmed Saturday as Syrian government forces tightened the noose around rebel-held parts of Aleppo and Russia’s foreign minister put the chances of a quick truce at less than 50 percent. “They have done so by the use of armed force”.
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U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday urged Putin to end his country’s airstrikes against moderate opposition forces in Syria.
Meanwhile, Israel’s war and military affairs minister, Moshe Yaalon, said he was pessimistic about the prospects of the Munich deal. But Western countries say Russian Federation has in fact been mostly targeting other insurgent groups, including some they support.
Medvedev also said the peace process would have to include a determination about Assad’s future role in Syria “because otherwise it would be odd”.
Putin stressed the importance of creating a “common front against terrorism” and establishing a working relationship between the Pentagon and the Russian Defense Ministry, it said.
U.S. Senator John McCain said he did not view the deal as a breakthrough.
But Kerry said Saturday that much work remained to be done before peace would become a reality. Syrian government troops still have to take several more villages and towns, including Hayan, Anadan, Hreitan and Kfar Hamra, in order to completely encircle the Aleppo rebels.
The situation in Syria has been complicated by the involvement of Kurdish-backed combatants in the area north of Aleppo near the Turkish border, which has drawn a swift military response from artillery in Turkey.
U.S. Defence Secretary Ash Carter said on Friday he expected Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to send special forces to Syria to help local opposition fighters in their drive to retake the city of Raqqa, Islamic State’s de facto capital in Syria. “What is different is not that Turkey has responded in such a way but the fact that there are different movements in the region”.
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The People’s Protection Units is the main fighting force of Syrian Kurds and a key ally of the U.S.-led coalition battling the Islamic State. France also called on Sunday for Turkey to halt the bombardment.
