The U.S. and Russian governments reached agreement here on a plan that envisions a cease-fire in Syria and reinvigorated efforts to end the five-year-long conflict that has left hundreds of thousands dead.
Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced the preliminary accord after more than 13 hours of talks in Geneva.
"Today the United States and Russia are announcing a plan which we hope will reduce violence, reduce suffering and resume movement toward a negotiated peace and a transition in Syria that if followed, has ability to provide a turning point, a moment of change," Kerry told reporters.
He said the truce is set to begin at sundown on Monday, which is also the start of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.
Once it is clear the cease-fire is holding and that humanitarian aid is reaching besieged cities and towns, the U.S. and Russia will start coordinated airstrikes against terrorist targets in Syria, Kerry said.
Those airstrikes will be planned from "an implementation center, in which the military and the representatives of Russian and U.S. intelligence will handle practical issues, separating terrorists and opposition," Lavrov said.
Washington and Moscow will work together to "delineate" between areas controlled by terrorist groups such as Islamic State and al-Nusra and the non-terrorist Syrian rebels, the Russian foreign minister said.
EFE
10/9/16
Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced the preliminary accord after more than 13 hours of talks in Geneva.
"Today the United States and Russia are announcing a plan which we hope will reduce violence, reduce suffering and resume movement toward a negotiated peace and a transition in Syria that if followed, has ability to provide a turning point, a moment of change," Kerry told reporters.
He said the truce is set to begin at sundown on Monday, which is also the start of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.
Once it is clear the cease-fire is holding and that humanitarian aid is reaching besieged cities and towns, the U.S. and Russia will start coordinated airstrikes against terrorist targets in Syria, Kerry said.
Those airstrikes will be planned from "an implementation center, in which the military and the representatives of Russian and U.S. intelligence will handle practical issues, separating terrorists and opposition," Lavrov said.
Washington and Moscow will work together to "delineate" between areas controlled by terrorist groups such as Islamic State and al-Nusra and the non-terrorist Syrian rebels, the Russian foreign minister said.
EFE
10/9/16
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Russia and the US have agreed to coordinate air strikes against Islamist militants in Syria, part of a detailed agreement to reduce the violence there...
ReplyDeleteThe plan will begin with a "cessation of hostilities" from sunset on Monday. Syrian forces will end combat missions in specified opposition-held areas.
Russia and the US will then establish a joint centre to combat jihadist groups, including so-called Islamic State (IS).
A Syrian opposition coalition has cautiously welcomed the agreement.
"We hope this will be the beginning of the end of the civilians' ordeal," said Bassma Kodmani, a spokeswoman for the High Negotiations Committee.
"We welcome the deal if it is going to be enforced."
The announcement follows talks in Geneva between US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov.....BBC
The United States and Russia have agreed to carry out joint air strikes in Syria if a newly agreed ceasefire holds for a week, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said...
ReplyDelete"We will jointly agree on strikes against terrorists to be carried out by the Russian and American air forces. We have agreed on the zones in which these strikes will be carried out," said Mr Lavrov.
The truce, agreed after a day of marathon talks in Geneva between Mr Lavrov and his US counterpart John Kerry, will come into force on Monday, the first day of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.
It will be followed by coordinated strikes against Al Nusra jihadist rebels and the Islamic State group – if it holds for a week, Mr Lavrov said.
"Only the Russian and American air forces will work in these zones," he added....http://www.rte.ie/news/2016/0910/815595-us-russia-syria/