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  6.  » Syria civil war: World powers agree ‘cessation of hostilities’ in a week’s time

Andrew Buncombe — The Independent Feb 12, 2016

John Kerry has announced a deal which promises a 'cessation of hostilities' between government forces and rebel groups in Syria by next week (pictured, Kerry with Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday)

The people of Syria have been handed a glimmer of hope after world powers agrred to seek a nationawide “cessation of hostilities” within a week.

US Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters in Munich that Syrian peace negotiations should resume in Geneva as soon as possible. He said that the cessation in hostilities would not include Western operations against Isis and other miliant groups fighting in Syria.

Mr Kerry said the ceasefire plan was “ambitious” and said the real test would be whether the parties honoured the commitments.

America’s top diplomat, flanked by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and UN envoy Staffan de Mistura, acknowledged that the meeting produced commitments on paper only. He and Mr Lavrov agreed that the “real test” will be whether all parties to the Syrian conflict honor those commitments.

“What we have here are words on paper, what we need to see in the next few days are actions on the ground,” he said.

A UN task force will be set up to ensure humanitarian access is granted to all sides, Mr Kerry added. He also said the powers had agreed to immediately accelerate and expand the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Mr Lavrov said there were “reasons to hope we have done a great job today”.

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said a cessation of hostilities in Syria could only succeed if Russia stops air strikes supporting Syrian government forces’ advance against the opposition.

“If implemented fully and properly… , this (deal) will be an important step towards relieving the killing and suffering in Syria,” Mr Hammond said in a statement.

“But it will only succeed if there is a major change of behaviour by the Syrian regime and its supporters. Russia, in particular, claims to be attacking terrorist groups and yet consistently bombs non-extremist groups including civilians. If this agreement is to work, this bombing will have to stop: no cessation of hostilities will last if moderate opposition groups continue to be targeted.”

The announcement comes as the Syrian army, backed by Russian air strikes, made further advances in Aleppo province. The move threatens to encircle tens of thousands of civilians in rebel-held parts of the major city of Aleppo.

At the press conference Mr Kerry again suggested that Russian strikes were targeting opposition forces, rather than mililiants, as Moscow says.

One Western diplomatic source told Reuters: “We did not get a deal on the immediate end of Russian bombings, but we have a commitment to a process that if it works would change the situation.”

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev on Thursday raised the spectre of an interminable conflict or even a world war if powers failed to negotiate an end to the fighting in Syria, which has killed 250,000 people, caused a refugee crisis and empowered Islamic State militants.

The first peace talks in two years between belligerents in Syria collapsed last week before they began in the face an the offensive by President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, one of the biggest and most consequential of the five-year war.

Continues … .