Syrian ceasefire plan welcomed by world powers

UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura will brief the Security Council later this week on the latest state-of-play in the peace process, according to UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric. “We will see you, God willing, tomorrow, for a crucial day in what has been now a very momentous follow-up to the Munich meeting”. The truce will not cover the Islamic State group and the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front.

Russia’s foreign minister says he hopes Washington will keep its obligations under a Syria truce deal negotiated by Russian Federation and the U.S.

The renewed diplomatic momentum follows a US-Russian brokered ceasefire that appears to have the support of most of the nations involved in sponsoring one side or other in the nearly five-year civil war.

A planned cessation of hostilities in Syria from Saturday night should rescue the civilian population from “the abyss”, Jan Egeland, chairman of a humanitarian task force, says. “When it is a question of Turkey’s security, then the ceasefire is not binding for us”.

The complexities of Syria’s battlefields – where moderate rebels often fight alongside extremist groups like Nusra – have cast serious doubt on whether the cease-fire effort will succeed.

‘We have never done high-altitude drops in Syria.

Iran is also a supporter of Damascus, and US Secretary of State John Kerry said Thursday that Tehran had withdrawn a “significant number” of its elite Revolutionary Guards troops from Syria. This may quickly derail the deal, as the opposition and its supporters have already said they are concerned the Syrian government and Russian Federation will continue to strike at mainstream rebels under the pretext of hitting Nusra during the cease-fire.

“It must be known that the ceasefire is valid in Syria”, Davutoglu said in televised remarks.

He also wanted to get access for convoys to reach the Aleppo area and the Homs area.

“Ankara is the only place that decides actions regarding Turkey’s security”, he said.

Turkey views the U.S.-backed PYD and its armed wing, the YPG, as terrorists due to their affiliation with Turkey’s own outlawed Kurdish rebels.

It however warned that the Syrian army has the right to respond to any violation by the opposition forces against the people, or the military forces. But the acceptance of the new agreement by both Bashar al-Assad’s government and the High Committee for Negotiations (HNC), the umbrella opposition group, well in advance of Friday’s midday deadline to make up their minds, bodes well.