Syrian govt, opposition agree nationwide truce

Russian President Vladimir Putin yesterday announced an immediate ceasefire between Syrian opposition groups and the Syrian government.
The parties were also prepared to start peace talks, Putin said, after Moscow, Iran and Turkey expressed readiness to broker a deal to settle the nearly six-year-old Syrian war.
The Syrian army announced a nationwide halt to fighting but said Islamic State and ex-Nusra Front militants and all groups linked to them would be excluded from the deal.
It did not say which unnamed groups would be excluded.
A spokesman for the Free Syrian Army, a loose alliance of rebel groups, said it would abide by the ceasefire, and take part in future talks.
It was the third nationwide ceasefire agreed in Syria this year.
The previous two, negotiated by Washington and Moscow, collapsed within weeks as warring sides accused each other of violations.
The current deal does not involve the United States or United Nations.
The latest ceasefire deal follows a major defeat for the anti-Assad rebellion in Aleppo, where the Russian air force and Iranian-backed ground forces played a critical role helping the government drive rebels from eastern parts of the city.
It also follows a thaw in ties between Russia and Turkey.
While Ankara has been a big sponsor of the rebellion, Assad’s removal has become a secondary concern to combating the expansion of Kurdish influence in northern Syria.
One rebel commander expressed optimism that this deal would be more effective.
“This time I have confidence in its seriousness. There is new international input,” said Colonel Fares al-Bayoush, an FSA commander, without elaborating.
Talks on the latest truce picked up momentum after Russia, Iran and Turkey last week said they were ready to back a peace deal and adopted a declaration setting out principles for an agreement.
Putin said opposition groups and the Syrian government had signed a number of documents, including the ceasefire, measures to monitor the truce, and a statement on readiness to start peace talks.
“The agreements reached are, of course, fragile, need a special attention and involvement. But after all, this is a notable result of our joint work, efforts by the defence and foreign ministries, our partners in the regions,” Putin said.
He also said Russia had agreed to reduce its military deployment in Syria, where its support has turned the tide in favour of President Bashar al-Assad in a war that has killed more than 300,000 and forced more than 11mn to flee their homes.
Putin spoke by phone to Assad who said he was committed to observing the ceasefire, the Kremlin said.
Turkey said it and Russia would guarantee the ceasefire.

Qatar hopes for resumption of peace process
Qatar has welcomed a ceasefire agreement in Syria that was brokered by Turkey and Russia. In a statement yesterday, the Foreign Ministry said the ceasefire would help in alleviating the sufferings of the fraternal Syrian people. It considered the implementation of the agreement a step towards reaching a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire, ensuring the safety of civilians, and accelerating the delivery of humanitarian aid, stressing the need of the Syrian regime to comply with the agreement. The ministry expressed hope that implementing the agreement would lead to the resumption of the political process and swiftly reach a political solution in line with the Geneva I communique and UN Security Council resolutions.