Putin says Syrian regime, opposition forces have signed nationwide truce

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday announced that Syrian regime and rebel forces have signed a nationwide ceasefire agreement, with Russia and Turkey as guarantors.


The Syrian army said in a statement that it would halt all military operations as of midnight local time (2200 GMT).

"The general command of the armed forces announces a complete halt to all hostilities on Syrian territory from the zero hour of December 30th," it said in a statement.

It added that the halt excluded combat against the Islamic State group and the former Al-Qaida affiliate previously known as Al-Nusra Front.

Putin said he would contact his Iranian and Turkish counterparts to discuss further steps towards a peace deal, according to RT. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the three countries planned to meet in the Kazakh capital of Astana to pave the way for peace talks.

A spokesman for the Syrian opposition coalition said in a statement that it would back the ceasefire deal.

"The National Coalition expresses support for the agreement and urges all parties to abide by it," spokesman Ahmed Ramadan told AFP of the deal.
 [i24news.tv -AFP]
29/12/16
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