The White House says Obama also discussed plans to address humanitarian needs in Syria, as well as coordination between Greece and Turkey to manage the flow of migrants into Europe.
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The Syrian president on Wednesday assured Russia’s Vladimir Putin of Damascus’ commitment to a Russia-U.S. proposed truce, even as a spokesman for a Saudi-backed alliance of Syrian opposition and rebel factions expressed “major concerns” about the ceasefire, due to begin later this week.
Terrorist groups such as Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) and Al-Nusra – or any other groups regarded as such by the UN Security Council – are not part of the truce.
The powerful Kurdish YPG militia, which is now fighting both Islamic State and rebels near Aleppo, is “seriously examining” the U.S.-Russian plan to decide whether to take part, a YPG official told Reuters.
A rebel fighter in the Aleppo area said he did not expect the cease-fire plan to work.
Earnest offered tempered optimism about an agreement that he said provided a “moment of opportunity”.
So, in his opinion, Turkey is not ready for such a step, “while Saudi Arabia and Qatar will act indirectly using terrorists controlled by them”. The deal does not speak to resupply of combatants by their outside backers.
On Monday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed an agreement as “a signal of hope” to end the Syrian conflict, which has been going on for almost five years.
“It is high time for this, otherwise refugees will continue to come and there will be an unbearable humanitarian situation in Turkey”, one of Syria’s neighbors where countless refugees have fled. Like previous U.S.-Russian statements, however, Monday’s document says nothing about Assad’s future – perhaps the biggest stumbling block to a sustained peace.
The U.N. humanitarian chief says a World Food Program plane has dropped the first cargo of desperately needed aid to the Syrian city of Deir el-Zour which is surrounded by the extremist Islamic State group.
It’s not clear exactly where along Syria’s complicated front lines the fighting would stop and for how long – or where counterterrorism operations could continue. The deal “can be an example of a responsible response to the threat of terrorism, based on worldwide law and United Nations principles of action of the global community”, he said.
In a Senate hearing, however, Kerry spoke of Russian backing being key to the deal being reached, despite tensions between the two countries over competing military operations in Syria.
“Unlike Russia’s obscured hand in Ukraine, its actions in Syria are being played out in daily headlines that report on Russia’s indiscriminate bombing and its support of the Syrian regime in areas where moderate forces are aiming to get out from under the rule of the Assad regime”, Clapper said. That agreement called for a truce by February 19, a deadline that was missed.
The announcement came hours after the United States and Russian Federation agreed on a new cease-fire for Syria that will take effect Saturday.
“We have until Friday”, said Alloush, who heads the political office of the Jaish al-Islam terrorist group.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said won’t vouch for the success of the agreement but said it’s the best pathway for ending the bloodshed. The cease-fire calls for all parties to ensure “rapid, safe, unhindered and sustained access” through territories they control.
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The Syrian military reserved the right to “respond to any breach by these groups against Syrian citizens or against its armed forces”, the government statement added.
