UN expected to announce date of new Syria peace talks

The draft, obtained by The Associated Press, also urges the United Nations secretary-general to resume Syria peace talks “as soon as possible”. Russian Federation and the Syrian government and the U.S.-led coalition, according to the agreement, are allowed to keep on striking at the Islamic State group and the Nusra Front during the cease-fire.

UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said late on Friday he intends to reconvene peace talks on March 7 provided the halt in fighting largely holds.

The United Nations has convened the first meeting of a special task force to monitor a cessation of hostilities in Syria just hours before it takes effect.

“The High Negotiations Committee (HNC) confirms the agreement of the Free Syrian Army factions and the armed opposition to a temporary truce from midnight Saturday”, an HNC statement said, as quoted by Reuters.

The Syrian government and a leading opposition bloc have agreed to the cessation of hostilities, but the accord excludes U.N.-designated terrorist groups like the Islamic State and Nusra Front, which hold swaths of Syrian territory. However he noted a “tentative report” about one incident, which he did not specify, that his team was investigating. “Yesterday, there were heavy battles in the part of rural Latakia that is still with us”, he said, adding he did not expect the government or its Russian allies to abide by the truce: “Three minutes ago, I saw a Russian plane in the sky hitting us here in rural Latakia”. However, he said things later quieted down.

Critics say it is not clear exactly where along Syria’s complicated front lines the fighting would stop and where counterterrorism operations could continue.

“In the first half hour of the cease-fire the situation is relatively calm but tense”, al-Masalmeh said via Skype.

“This is a regime that can not be trusted”, al-Masalmeh said.

The Observatory also reported dozens of airstrikes north of the northern city of Aleppo, which has been under attack by Syrian troops and pro-government militias for weeks.

US Ambassador Samantha Power acknowledged there was “some scepticism” as to whether the ceasefire will take hold, but said it offered the “best chance to reduce the violence”.

“Going forward we have to be very careful a different problem is not created by our short-term interest in working with the Kurds against ISIS”, he said. “There will be violations”.

On the stroke of midnight, firing stopped in suburbs around the capital and the devastated northern city of Aleppo, AFP correspondents said, after a day of intense Russian air strikes on rebel bastions across the country.

The Kremlin has denied allegations that Russia’s air force bombed civilian positions east of Damascus on the eve of the ceasefire. He said 25 strikes targeted Douma.

The cessation of hostilities was an “overdue milestone”, he said, adding: “But rather than dwell on our past failures, let us now seize the momentum and see urgent progress towards a political transition away from Assad towards a government that represents all Syrians”.

Reiterating its principled position of neutrality, impartiality and respect of territorial integrity and sovereignty of Syria, Pakistan on Friday welcomed the agreement reached between Russian Federation and United States on cessation of hostilities in the war-torn Syria.

“The world will be watching”, Obama said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin insisted Moscow would continue targeting “terrorist groups”.