Putin’s remarks came hours after Washington and Moscow announced plans for a cessation of hostilities in Syria, excluding Islamic State and Nusra Front militants, that would take effect from Saturday.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Monday that his country and the United States were ready to set up an implementation and monitor mechanism to ensure respect of a ceasefire in Syria.
The United States and its allies conducted 38 airstrikes against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) on Saturday, the coalition leading the operations said in a statement on Sunday.
A U.S. State Department statement called them “barbaric attacks” and called on “all parties to the conflict, particularly the Syrian regime and forces supporting it, to support a cessation of hostilities that can begin to de-escalate the civil war, which continues to sustain ISIL and other terrorist groups”. “If there isn’t… there are certainly Plan B options being considered”, Kerry said.
This week, though, Islamic State cut off ground access for Syrian troops to Aleppo, the country’s largest city and a focus of recent fighting.
A Syrian foreign ministry statement said the Government would continue to fight both those groups as well as other “terrorists”, while agreeing to stop other military operations “in accordance with the Russian-American announcement”.
The Syrian government also warned that opposition groups can not be allowed to use the ceasefire to strengthen their military positions and this would be regarded as a breach of the agreement.
The Syrian high negotiating committee – the main umbrella organisation for Syrian opposition groups backed by the west and Saudi Arabia – said late on Monday that it accepted the terms of the ceasefire.
“The important decision made at the fourth meeting of the foreign ministers in Munich and the agreement on cessation of hostilities in Syria reached by Russian Federation and United States yesterday serves as evidence that understanding between interested parties has evolved into concrete actions”. The Aamaq news agency, which is affiliated with the extremist group, also reported that IS was now in “full control” of the town, southeast of Aleppo.
He said the deal “further contributes to creating an environment conducive for the resumption of political negotiations”.
Turkey, a major sponsor of the insurgency against Assad, said it welcomed plans for the halt to fighting but was not optimistic about a positive outcome to talks on a political transition.
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The HNC said the “acceptance of the truce is conditional” on the government ending its siege of 18 rebel-held areas, releasing detainees and the halting of aerial and artillery bombardment.
