United Nations backs Syria ceasefire, peace talks to re-start March 7

Feb 28, 2016, 18:02

The "cessation of hostilities" agreed to by the United States and Russian Federation is due to take hold on Saturday morning from midnight.

And British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft said "Russia must turn words into actions" and use its influence on its ally, Syrian President Bashar Assad: "If they don't, we will falter again".

The deal excludes the Islamic State group and the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front, which control large swaths of territory in Syria.

De Mistura said he would brief the U.N. Security Council on Friday and then announce a date for a new round of talks, but he declined to comment further.

But while humanitarian access has made dramatic progress, with convoys reaching six besieged areas and delivering aid to 110,000 people, the cessation of hostilities failed to take hold last week as initially planned.

Wenger: Barcelona are 95 per cent through
When asked why Arsenal have struggled to find the net of late, Wenger said: "That's a good question - and it's a bad answer".

"None of us are under any illusions", Obama said. "The situation on the ground is hard".

He said cease-fire declarations already have been signed by the government and opposition representatives in several areas in the provinces of Homs and Latakia.

USA and Russian officials will meet in coming days to form a task force to monitor the implementation of a ceasefire in Syria's civil war, Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday.

"This ceasefire agreement is a mere western conspiracy aimed at breaking down the will of the Syrian people and save the Assad regime", he said.

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama directed his national security team Thursday to press the U.S.-led global campaign to destroy the Islamic State group "on all fronts".

Rickie Fowler is on a roll at Honda Classic
The statement said he was in the hospital and stable as of Friday evening, but more tests would be done on Saturday. The two-time PGA Tour victor , 42, complained of chest pains following the second round and called for a medic.

But exactly where along Syria's complicated front lines the fighting would stop and where counterterrorism operations could continue under the truce is still to be addressed.

Shortly after the briefing, the 15-member council voted unanimously to approve a resolution endorsing the cease-fire agreement less than an hour before it was set to start. Russia's air base Hmeimim in Syria has opened a coordination center. They warned, however, that the government must not launch attacks in the name of fighting terrorism.

The agreement to halt the violence will be a "test" to see if Syria's parties are committed to negotiations over a political transition that could end the five-year war, he said.

Ankara considers the Syrian Kurdish group, known as the People's Protection Units, or YPG, a terror organization because of its links to Turkey's own Kurdish rebels and has been shelling its positions inside Syria along the border with Turkey.

The Saudi-backed Syrian opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) also announced that it would temporarily adhere to the truce.

Galaxy S7 to be initially released in 60 countries
Galaxy S7 will also be available through Sprint's prepaid brands, Boost Mobile on March 11 and shortly after on Virgin Mobile USA. The Samsung Galaxy S7, on the other hand, has a 5.1-inch Quad HD display but the resolution is similar to that of the LG G5 .

Most of the Syrian rebel groups, to which the cessation of hostilities plan applies, have expressed readiness to commit to the deal, the report said, adding that the Free Syrian Army, one of rebel groups backed by the West, has accepted the plan and pledged its commitment.