CEASEFIRE IN SYRIA DEAL
AUS-RUSSIA deal aimed at addressing the crisis in Syria will see a nationwide ceasefire starting tomor- row.
And it will be followed a week later by an unexpected new military partnership between the US and Russia to target Islamic State and al Qaida militants.
The plan would also establish new limits on president Bashar Assad’s forces and enable humanitarian supplies to reach the besieged city Aleppo.
The deal was thrashed out in Geneva by US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, and it is hoped the plan could reduce violence in Syria and lead to a long-sought political transition, ending more than five years of bloody civil war.
Diplomats hope the deal will also focus military efforts on tackling IS and al Qaida militants, following long-standing complaints from the international coalition that Russia had been targeting moderate groups opposed to Moscow’s ally, Assad.
One of the most surprising elements of the Geneva deal is that the US and Russia will share intelligence and co-ordinate targeting for strikes against IS and the al Qaida-linked Nusra Front, now known as Fath alSham.
The arrangement hinges on Moscow pressuring Assad’s government to halt all offensive operations against Syria’s armed opposition and civilian areas. Washington must persuade “moderate” rebels to break ranks with groups linked to al Qaida and other extremists.
The ceasefire begins at sundown tomorrow, Mr Kerry said, coinciding with the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday.
“Today the United States and Russia are announcing a plan which we hope will reduce violence, ease suffering and resume movement toward a negotiated peace and a political transition in Syria,” Mr Kerry said.
“We are announcing an arrangement that we think has the capability of sticking, but it is dependent on people’s choices.
“It has the ability to stick, provided the regime and the opposition both meet their obligations, which we – and we expect other supporting countries – will strongly encourage them to do,” he added.
Mr Kerry’s negotiating partner, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, confirmed the agreement and said it could help expand the counterterrorism fight and aid deliveries to Syrian civilians under UN auspices that have been stalled for weeks.
“This is just the beginning of our new relations,” Mr Lavrov said.
He said Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government was informed of the accord, and was prepared to comply.
Mr Kerry added: “The United States is going the extra mile here because we believe that Russia, and my colleague, have the capability to press the Assad regime to stop this conflict and to come to the table and make peace.”
Save the Children’s Syria director, Sonia Khush, said: “This cessation of hostilities is desperately needed and it is imperative that parties to the conflict adhere to it and that all besieged and hard-to-reach areas are able to receive aid immediately, and that hospitals, schools and other civilian infrastructure are no longer targeted.
“Children cannot be plunged back into war, hunger and deprivation after a brief reprieve.
“We must build on this initial ceasefire to move towards sustained humanitarian access and a longerterm pause in the fighting.”