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Syrian army says it is repelling rebel attack

The UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has urged Russian Federation and the United States to get Syria’s ceasefire implemented.

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The cessation of hostilities has not only alleviated the plight of some of the Syrian people, but it is also vital to the overall process set up and sustained in Geneva by the ISSG, including the political transition process under the leadership of Staffan de Mistura, the UN Special Envoy for Syria. “We are hopeful but we are not there yet”, Kerry said.

The civil war in Syria has killed hundreds of thousands of people, driven millions from their homes, created the world’s worst refugee crisis and provided a base for Islamic State militants who have launched attacks elsewhere.

Kerry accused President Bashar al-Assad’s regime of deliberately targeting three clinics and a major hospital last week.

“France forcefully condemns the (Damascus) regime’s attacks that have caused many casualties (and) calls on the supporters of the regime (Russia and Iran).to use their influence on Damascus to silence the weapons”, he said in a statement.

“And it has to stop”.

But relative quiet in the city’s rebel-held east on Monday morning allowed some residents to venture out into the streets, AFP’s correspondent there said, with some even opening up shops.

“He can leave through a political process, which we hope he will do, or he will be removed by force”, the minister said.

Kerry stressed that the goal was to re-enforce a broad truce capable of withstanding further tests.

Mr. Lavrov and Mr. Kerry also discussed the coming meeting of the International Syria Support Group, Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement.

The U.N. envoy for Syria and Russia’s foreign minister have begun talks in Moscow about reviving the stalled cease-fire in Syria.

Washington and Moscow have agreed to station additional personnel in Geneva to help enforce a ceasefire.

Several neighborhoods, including the heavily populated Bustan al-Qasr district, were hit, according to Agence France-Presse’s correspondent in the northern city. General Sergei Kurylenko, a Russian military official, said talks were taking place on extending the local truces to Aleppo.

While ceasefires were yesterday extended in other parts of the country, the U.S. has so far failed to push Russian Federation to rein in its ally’s forces in Aleppo, which has seen the worst of the violence.

Rebel fire in a government-controlled neighbourhood of Aleppo has killed at least 19 people, including three children, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) says.

The city was initially left out of a deal to “reinforce” the February truce agreement.

Syria’s military extended a unilateral cease-fire around Damascus and opposition strongholds in the eastern suburbs of the capital for another 48 hours on Monday, as a humanitarian convoy delivered aid to 12,000 families trapped in a government-besieged area in central Syria.

Violence in Aleppo has dampened hopes that the ceasefire could finally lay the groundwork for an end to the conflict.

The exact date for the next round of talks was expected be announced late this month.

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On Monday, France also called for a ministerial meeting of the global group supporting Syria to “restore the ceasefire”.

The Latest: Kerry says work underway to restore Syria truce