Quick truce in Syria doubtful

Government forces tighten noose around rebel areas

Munich — Hopes of securing a temporary truce in Syria within a week dimmed Saturday as Syrian government forces tightened the noose around rebel-held parts of Aleppo and Russia’s foreign minister put the chances of a quick truce at 49%.

The comments by Sergey Lavrov and strong words from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry underscored deep U.S.-Russian disagreements over Syria.

“To date, the vast majority, in our opinion, of Russia’s attacks have been against legitimate opposition groups. And to adhere to the agreement it made, we think it is critical that Russia’s targeting change,” Kerry said. “If people who want to be part of the conversation are being bombed, we’re not going to have much of a process.”

Lavrov and Kerry met again Saturday on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference to go over plans for task forces to work out the details for the truce and to coordinate humanitarian aid, the State Department said.

Further complicating the picture, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said his country and Saudi Arabia may launch ground operations against the Islamic State group in Syria, Turkish media reported Saturday.

Diplomats from countries with interests in Syria’s fiveyear civil war, including the United States, Russia, Turkey, Iran and Saudi Arabia, agreed Friday to work toward a temporary “cessation of hostilities” within a week. They also agreed to “accelerate and expand” deliveries of humanitarian aid to besieged Syrian communities beginning this week.

Still, officials acknowledged from the start that the test would be turning commitments on paper into reality on the ground — and it wasn’t clear whether deep differences regarding the truce and which groups would be eligible for it could be overcome.

The truce deal in Munich came as Syrian government forces, aided by a Russian bombing campaign, are trying to encircle rebels in Aleppo, the country’s largest city, and cut off their supply route to Turkey. Syrian state TV and an opposition activist group said Saturday that Syrian government forces captured another village near Aleppo, tightening the noose around rebel-held parts of the city.