Syria’s Assad assures Putin in phone call on truce details

The US and Russian Federation announced Monday plans for a ceasefire between the regime and the opposition in Syria starting on 29 February, with the exception of “Islamic State” (IS) and Al-Nusra front, both of which are considered terrorist organisations by the UN. The deal does not include fighting aimed at IS, al-Nusra Front, or any other militia designated as a terrorist group by the UN Security Council. Speaking to reporters Thursday in Geneva, he predicted a “crucial” day ahead of the start of the truce brokered by the United States and Russian Federation.

The main umbrella organisation for Syrian opposition groups says it’s ready for a two-week truce to test the government side’s commitment to the US-Russian ceasefire plan.

Syria’s Foreign Ministry on Tuesday announced that the Syrian government consents to observe a cessation of hostilities as agreed upon by the United States and Russian Federation.

The town of Khanaser captured by the army Thursday was seized earlier this week by the Islamic State group, cutting state forces’ access to the provincial capital, also called Aleppo, said the Syrian government and the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition monitoring group.

Its goal, Konashenkov said, would be to help organize cease-fire negotiations between the Syrian government and the opposition. “The U.S. has informed us and has received our opinion”.

The U.N. humanitarian chief says a World Food Program plane has dropped the first cargo of desperately needed aid to the Syrian city of Deir el-Zour which is surrounded by the extremist Islamic State group.

“We are very cautious about raising expectations on this”, Obama said.

Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, said he doesn’t think the U.S.-Russia accord will hold.

Also, it is made more fragile because it allows fighting to continue against the Islamic State group and the Nusra Front, al-Qaida’s branch in the country – which could easily respark broader warfare. He said he doesn’t expect the truce to immediately end hostilities after years of bloodshed between forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar Assad and rebels who want to end his reign.

“This work is not simple as it requires not only phone talks but also trips to sites to implement the ceasefire agreements and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the people”, the ministry said.

Syria’s state-run news agency said 18 people were killed in shelling by insurgents of government-held neighborhoods of Aleppo in the past 24 hours. “Will this ceasefire be inclusive of parties we view as terrorists – the party of Hassan Nasrallah and the Shi’ite militias?” he added, referring to Lebanon’s Hezbollah and other groups fighting alongside the Syrian army.

Analysts said the deal may be simply unworkable, rebels on the ground doubted the government’s goodwill and many civilians expected their hopes to once again be dashed.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Barack Obama’s top military and intelligence advisers have been pushing for additional pressure on Moscow, arguing that Russia’s will fail to fulfill its part of the agreement over cessation of hostilities, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday.