Damascus : Syria’s regime agreed to a ceasefire deal announced by the United States and Russia, but there were widespread doubts it could take effect by the weekend as hoped, reports AFP.
The agreement, announced, does not apply to jihadists like the Islamic State group and Al-Nusra Front, putting up major hurdles to how it can be implemented on Syria’s complex battlefield.
A Syrian foreign ministry statement said the government would continue to fight both those groups as well as other “terrorists”, while agreeing to stop other military operations “in accordance with the Russian-American announcement.”
The deal calls for a “cessation of hostilities” between forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad and opposition groups that would take effect overnight Friday-Saturday in Damascus. The High Negotiations Committee (HNC) — the leading Syrian opposition group — gave its conditional acceptance to the deal.
Turkey threatens new strikes
Turkey said it was not optimistic over the implementation of a Syria ceasefire announced by the United States and Russia, threatening to keep up retaliatory artillery strikes against Syrian Kurdish fighters. “I welcome this truce but I am not very optimistic that it will be respected by all the parties,” Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told reporters in Ankara.
He also warned that Turkey could carry on shelling targets of the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) militia inside Syria, as it did on successive days last week.
Kurtulmus said Turkey will continue “if necessary” to hit back at incoming fire from Syria even after the truce comes into force on February 27. “Turkey will defend its territorial integrity. That is clear,” he added. Turkey has been alarmed by advances of YPG forces in northern Syria, fearing they are working to create an autonomous Kurdish region on the country’s doorstep.
