Russian PM Medvedev says Russia not bombing civilians in Syria

Groups who are being bombed, Kerry said, will be disinclined to talk.

Meanwhile, government forces have reportedly captured Tamopura, another village near Aleppo, as they tighten their grip around rebel-held parts of the country’s biggest city. Hijab said. “I would like to see a single day of a cessation of hostilities in order to give a chance for real political movement”.

Euronews reporter James Franey reported from Munich: “There are still many disagreements between the United States and Russian Federation, none more so than the future of President Bashar Assad”.

The complex, multi-sided civil war in Syria, raging since 2011, has drawn in most regional and global powers, producing the world’s worst humanitarian emergency and attracting jihadist recruits from around the world.

KELEMEN: Russia has some conflicting goals in Syria.

The skepticism comes from both Republicans and Democrats, and it is being echoed by Syrian opposition leaders and analysts.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which tracks the conflict, reported on Saturday that Syrian government forces were poised to advance into the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa province and allied Russian jets kept up air strikes on rebel-held towns north of Aleppo.

Government offensives around Aleppo have sent tens of thousands of people fleeing towards the Turkish border.

Russia, Syria and Iran argue that other groups, notably some supported by Turkey, Saudi Arabia and some other Arab states, should not be eligible for the ceasefire, and there was no sign Friday that those differences had been resolved.

However, Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev said there was no evidence its airstrikes in Syria were affecting civilians.

The Russian Prime Minister’s comments came after his French counterpart, Manuel Valls, warned Moscow that to acquire peace in Syria, it must stop bombing civilians.

“France respects Russian Federation and its interests…”

“The Syrians who have rejected Assad have endured four years of shelling, barrel bombs, gas, Scud missiles, chemical attacks, torture, and they may be pushed back here or there, but they are not going to surrender”. Medvedev said on Saturday it was simply not true.

In the past, several deals on Syria have failed prompting words of caution from experts about the new agreement. With the help of Russian air power, Assad has been gaining territory, so he has little incentive to stop the bombing unless forced to do so by his sponsor Russia.

“To date, the vast majority, in our opinion, of Russia’s attacks have been against legitimate opposition groups”.

Foreign ministers from the International Syria Support Group also sealed an agreement early Friday to “accelerate and expand” deliveries of humanitarian assistance to seven besieged Syrian communities.

Daniel Serwer, a professor of conflict management at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and Washington-based Middle East Institute expert, said that Kerry went to Munich to get a “cease-fire”, but he could only get a “cessation of hostilities”, which implies a “less legal status” and “less permanence”.

“The focus of our meeting was on the relationship between Nato and Russia and we also addressed the issue of the convening the Nato-Russia council”.