Syrian opposition seeks guarantees for truce

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s apparent determination to seal a ceasefire in Syria shows Moscow is keen to cement its gains after saving Bashar al-Assad and forcing its way back to the heart of global diplomacy, analysts say.

SANA said the two leaders stressed the importance of continuing to fight ISIS, al Nusra, “and other terrorist organizations”.

Speaking reporters on Friday, Ibrahim Kalin, spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, also said Turkey would not accept a transitional government for Syria that would be headed by Assad, saying the Syrian leader is not in a position to unify Syria.

The ceasefire will not include actions by or against the Islamic State jihadist group nor Syria s Al-Qaeda offshoot, but Kerry hopes it will halt Russian and Syrian attacks on opposition rebel factions.

The Syrian warring parties including the Assad-led regime and the mainstream opposition composed of moderate rebel groups have indicated their agreement to the US-Russia truce plan to end armed hostilities effectively on February 27.

Kerry said Assad ally Russian Federation would be speaking with the Syrian government, as well as Iran, while the US would be consulting with opposition groups in order to try to implement the cease-fire.

The United States and Russian Federation brokered a temporary cease-fire between forces loyal to the Syrian government and Western-backed rebels trying to overthrow it that is scheduled to begin at midnight Friday, local Damascus time.

Both presidents also agreed on the need to continue the war against the terrorist-designated groups, namely the Islamic State (IS) and the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, both were excluded from the ceasefire plan as they are designated as terrorist groups by the UN.

“The secretary-general strongly urges the parties to abide by the terms of the agreement”, said a statement issued here by Ban’s spokesman.

Palmer said the loopholes in the truce deal are significant.

“The main goal is to stop the bloodletting in Syria”, he said.

Official Yerevan welcomes the U.S.-Russian agreement on ceasefire in Syria, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said in a statement on its official Facebook account.

“I have to be very frank: Syria and its allies are responsible for not having a resolution in the latest round of talks; therefore if they continue to have the same attitude… talking on one side to gain time and attacking Syrians and civilians on the other side, this initiative can not be successful. The task of renewing the intra-Syrian talks about political regulation of the situation was considered, as well as questions of joint work in the framework of the International Syria Support Group and the UN Security Council”.