Syrian ceasefire holds, paves way to transition - Putin, European leaders

Mar 13, 2016, 23:16

Thomson ReutersDe Mistura UN Special Envoy for Syria and his special advisor Egeland hold news conference after meeting of the Task Force for Humanitarian Access in GenevaBEIRUT (Reuters) - The United Nations Syria envoy expects a staggered start to peace talks next week, with participants arriving over several days for "indirect meetings " , he said in an interview with pan-Arab newspaper Al Hayat".

"The main point that the European leaders made on the call to [Russian President Vladimir] Putin was that we welcome the fact that this fragile truce appears to be holding", a spokesman for Mr Cameron said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based organisation that tracks the conflict, said heavy shelling and rocket fire landed around the town of Ghasaniya near rebel-held Jisr al-Shughour on Friday.

Syria's conflict, which erupted in March 2011 as a popular uprising against Assad's authoritarian rule - influenced in part by the Arab Spring movements across the Mideast - quickly descended into an all-out civil war that gave an opening to militants such as the Islamic State group and the Nusra Front to seize large swaths of land.

De Mistura said that the avalanche of Syrian refugees arriving in Europe, Russia's growing military presence in the country, and continued attacks by the Islamic State (IS) group around the world, had served as "a wake-up call" for the worldwide community, spurring more robust diplomatic efforts.

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But Hijab claimed that more than 50 rebel-held areas have been targeted during the truce.

According to Norwegian-Emirati Syria watcher Iyad El-Baghdadi, there were 104 protests across rebel-held Syria on Friday.

"Russia is now involved militarily, and as was the case with the United States in Afghanistan and Iraq they are finding that it is easy to get in, but not so easy to get out, without a political solution" the UN mediator said.

The Russian foreign ministry wrote in an online statement that Bodganov and Tefft met on Thursday evening at Tefft's invitation to discuss a range of issues relating to the U.S.-Russian brokered cease-fire.

The Kremlin said this was "in compliance with all the present Syrian constitution and doesn't interfere with measures to create the peace process" .

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"Fewer Syrians may be dying in bomb attacks but they are still facing starvation", said Henrietta McMicking of The Syria Campaign, an opposition advocacy group.

"We've encouraged Dr Hijab, whatever his reservations, to be prepared to return to the discussions in Geneva", said Hammond.

"Lorries are waiting for 36 hours", he said.

However, the HNC's Hijab said the alliance has yet to decide on whether it will be participating.

Putin, Hollande, Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi talked about "the situation in Syria", the source said. It does not cover areas of the country that are under Daesh control, as well as thst of the al-Qaeda-affiliated al-Nusra Front.

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