Assad assures Putin of ‘readiness’ to respect Syria ceasefire

On Monday, the United States and Russian Federation, the co-chairs of the International Syria Support Group, announced a plan for a ceasefire between the government forces and armed opposition groups in Syria.

A day earlier, Kerry said if a political transition to a government to replace the current administration in Syria did not unfold, there would be options, in a reference to an undefined plan B the US has, which could include military action.

Pressure was building on Syria’s warring parties to abide by a partial ceasefire brokered by Moscow and Washington as the United Nations discussed a draft resolution that would endorse the agreement due to take effect Saturday.

While IS control over territory is relatively clear and stable, Al-Nusra works closely with many other rebels groups, particularly in the north.

U.S. ambassador Samantha Power acknowledged there was “some scepticism” as to whether the ceasefire would last, but said it offered the “best chance to reduce the violence”.

Recent gains by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad, with Iranian and Russian support, make it unlikely that they will stop fighting for long, if at all, said several analysts. Also unresolved are how exactly breaches in the truce would be dealt with.

His reluctance to negotiate with the rebels is one reason why the conflict has dragged on for five years, killed more than 250,000 people, and displaced half the country’s pre-war population of 22 million.

On Friday, hours before the cease-fire came into effect, warplanes unleashed airstrikes against rebel-held positions in the suburbs of the Syrian capital and near the northern city of Aleppo.

The United States said it was time for Russian Federation to show it was serious about halting fighting by honoring a commitment not to strike Syrian groups that are part of the moderate opposition. SANA said Putin called Assad, adding that the two leaders stressed the importance of continuing to fight the Islamic State, the Nusra Front “and other terrorist organizations”.

Although it has committed in principle to the truce, the main Syrian opposition umbrella group is deeply skeptical and has kept its meetings in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, open while it seeks clarifications from the USA about the mechanism for the implementation of the agreement.

The announcement is further indication of the complexities of implementing the truce, which the government and opposition approved this week. “We are very cautious about raising expectations on this”, he said.

“We can hit them anywhere, anytime – and we do”, said Obama, who was flanked by Secretary of State John Kerry, Defense Secretary Ash Carter, Attorney General Loretta Lynch and other top advisers.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva after the truce took hold at midnight, de Mistura said initial reports indicated that within minutes both Damascus and the nearby rebel-held town of Daraya suddenly “had calmed down”.