Syria: US, Russia Agree to 48-Hour Truce Extension
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The United States and Russia have said that a cessation of hostilities in Syria is largely holding and it should be extended by 48 hours, as the United Nations urged all sides to guarantee the security of an aid convoy, currently held-up along the Turkish border, into Aleppo.
"There was agreement as a whole, despite sporadic reports of violence, the arrangement is holding and violence is significantly lower," US State Department spokesman Mark Toner said at a press briefing late on Wednesday.
"As part of the conversation they agreed to extend the cessation for another 48 hours."
Toner said US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov had spoken by telephone earlier in the day and agreed it was worth extending the truce.
Under the deal, which was brokered by the US and Russia on Friday, Washington and Moscow are aiming for reduced violence over seven consecutive days, before they move to the next stage of coordinating military strikes against Daesh (ISIL) and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, the group formerly known as al-Nusra Front that changed its name after cutting ties with al-Qaeda in July.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the Syrian conflict through contacts on the ground, said no deaths from fighting had been reported in the first 48 hours of the truce.
"This recommitment will initially be for 48 hours, and, provided it holds, the US and Russia will discuss extensions, with the aim of achieving an indefinite extension to lower the violence," Toner said.
He added that Russia needed to use its influence over Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to ensure that humanitarian aid was delivered to besieged communities under the agreement.
On Wednesday, both Moscow and Washington spoke positively about the truce deal, with the Kremlin saying it raised hopes for a peaceful solution to the crisis.
The Syrian government has said it will reject any aid deliveries to the city not coordinated through itself and the UN, particularly from Turkey, which has backed the terrorists fighting the Syrian army.
A diplomatic source, speaking to Al Jazeera on condition of anonymity on Wednesday, confirmed that the Turkish government's involvement remains a major sticking point.
"Politics is coming in the way of the delivery," the source said.