Buswell noted that the terms of the U.S. -Russia agreement require humanitarian access.
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“They’ll be able to see where we believe – and where we will know – that those opposition groups that are allied with the United States are, because we’re going to put them on a “do not bomb” list”.
The Syrian Arab Red Crescent will also assume some positions as the highway, which was captured by the Syrian army from the rebels two months ago, will be used for humanitarian purposes only.
However, other rebel groups, many of them Western-backed, have shown no sign of separating from Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, to which they are strategically allied in some areas. He added that the Russian air force will provide cover if that happens.
“The cessation of hostilities is not being fulfilled by the opposition units controlled by the US”. De Mistura said he expected Damascus to honor this rule, and to let trucks pass without removing medical supplies this time.
“The Russians were as disappointed as we are” and called for quick action on the matter, he said at the end of a meeting of the Geneva-based humanitarian task force monitoring developments.
“The Syrian army. began the staged withdrawal of vehicles and personnel from the Castello Road to ensure the unimpeded delivery of aid to eastern Aleppo”, said Lieut-Gen Vladimir Savchenko, head of the Russian reconciliation centre in Syria on state television.
The agreement has not been made public, but officials familiar with it have told The Associated Press it contains a highly technical series of requirements for both Assad’s government and opposition forces. Demilitarisation of Castello Road is key to allowing further humanitarian access, USA officials have said.
Aleppo-based activist Bahaa al-Halaby denied that government troops had withdrawn, adding that humanitarian conditions in the eastern areas of Syria’s largest city are deteriorating. However, France called on Washington to share details of the deal on Thursday.
Maj. -Gen. Igor Konashenkov, in a statement issued on Friday, cast doubt on the rebels’ “ability to comply” with a U.S. -Russia-brokered cease-fire, which came into effect earlier this week.
The truce deal has calmed much of the fighting in Syria but desperately needed humanitarian aid has not yet been allowed to reach civilian areas as planned under the agreement.
Konashenkov says Russian officers of the Center for Reconciliation are monitoring the Castello Road leading to Aleppo, but he stopped short of saying whether there were any Russian troops there.
Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov says that Staffan de Mistura, the United Nations envoy for Syria, could call the talks between the Syrian government and the opposition later this month or in October.
However, the United Nations envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said despite the dramatic drop in violence since the cease-fire took effect on Monday, the humanitarian aid flow that was supposed to follow had not materialized.
The state-run Anadolu news agency says three US flags were hung on Thursday around a compound of the Democratic Union Party, or PYD, and were still visible from Turkey on Friday afternoon.
Washington hopes the agreement will lead to peace talks, and if all goes as planned, coordinated strikes against Islamic State and the Nusra Front are due to start.
Kerry called the delays in assistance to Aleppo “repeated” and “unacceptable”, and said Russian Federation must press Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to allow deliveries.
The rebels themselves have voiced strong opposition to letting in aid via the Castello route, fearing this would end up favoring the government and cementing its control over the road, allowing Assad’s forces to reintroduce a siege in the future.
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This story was first published on CNN.com, “Syria ceasefire: Focus turns to aid delivery in besieged areas”.
