Merkel says Putin is committed to Syria ceasefire

Russian President Vladimir Putin has told European leaders that Moscow is committed to a upholding a ceasefire that took hold in Syria last weekend, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said.

The leaders of France, Britain, Germany and Italy had a teleconference conversation with Putin on Friday, during which they asked him to use Russia's influence over the Syrian government to abide by the truce.

• "I would like to stress one more time that the commitment to hold the ceasefire was confirmed as a key message by the Russian president: only attacks on Daesh [ISIL] and al-Nusra Front," Merkel said during a news conference with French President Francois Hollande.

Merkel was referring to US-Russia-backed plans for a "cessation of hostilities" in Syria that excludes groups such as the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant [ISIL] and al-Nusra Front...

French President Francois Hollande, while echoing Merkel's comments, added that the "Syrian ceasefire must be respected everywhere and that the only actions which should be tolerated are those directed against ISIL and al Nusra".

"Any other initiative would violate the cessation of hostilities and be a pretext to not fully implement it," he said.

Hollande added that there was agreement to take advantage of the truce to coordinate humanitarian aid and open a process of political transition in Syria.

Following a Franco-British summit on Thursday, Hollande and UK Prime Minister David Cameron had expressed concerns that rebel forces continued to be targeted in Syria.

"We ask all sides that are committing human rights violations, including Russia and the Syrian regime, to put an immediate end to the attacks against moderate opposition groups," they said in a joint statement ahead of Friday's teleconference....
 Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
4/3/16
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