US Welcomes Moscow Agreement On Syria, But Is Skeptical

Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in comments translated into Russian that the ceasefire should cover the entire Syrian territory but exclude the jihadist groups Islamic State and Al-Nusra Front, the former name of ex-Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front.

The U.S., Turkey’s North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ally, shares its allegiance to rebel groups in Syria, even though many of them have ties to al-Qaeda and other Islamist factions. It also said the U.N. Secretary-General must “consult with interested parties” as the world body makes arrangements to deploy monitors – an awkwardly-worded compromise to assuage Moscow’s earlier demands for coordination with the Syrian government. Iran, which has a centralized Shiite version of Islam, has entered into competition with other regional actors, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

The exact number of people seeking evacuation from Aleppo – and those who have already left – remains unclear.

Press TV’s Marina Kortunova reports from Moscow.

Among those evacuated to a rebel-held area west of the city was seven-year-old Bana al-Abed, whose Twitter posts with her mother throughout the siege by government forces helped draw attention to the plight of civilians.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the conflict though activists on the ground, says 60 buses are waiting to leave eastern Aleppo on Wednesday with some 3,000 evacuees – the final step that surrenders the Syrian opposition stronghold in the war-torn city to the government.

Andrei Karlov died of his wounds after the shooting, which occurred on the eve of a key meeting between the Russian, Turkish and Iranian foreign ministers on the Syria conflict.

Although Washington has always been a player in efforts to end the Syria civil war and other Mideast conflicts, the United States was forced to watch from the sidelines as the Syrian government and its allies, including Russian Federation, mounted an assault to pin down the rebels in east Aleppo that culminated in a ceasefire deal.

On Tuesday, the Russian, Turkish, and Iranian defense ministers will meet in Moscow to discuss Aleppo and the situation in Syria. In a readout of Kerry’s call with Cavusoglu Tuesday, Kirby said that the secretary “offered USA assistance to the investigation into the horrific murder of Russian Ambassador to Turkey Andrey Karlov“.

During the trilateral meeting, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that fighting terrorism in Syria or anywhere else must go unabated. Turkey’s priority is to prevent Syria’s Kurds from merging areas under their control.

They strongly believe that this agreement will be instrumental to create the necessary momentum for the resumption of the political process in Syria in accordance with the Security Council resolution 2254.

In a December 18 interview, Ali Akbar Velayati, the Iranian supreme leader’s foreign policy adviser, described the developments in eastern Aleppo as “the most important victory during the past five years in which Syria has been entangled in the war on terrorism”, adding that they are “a prelude to future victories”.