Fire fighters try to extinguish a fire after a car bomb attack at the opposition controlled Soran district of Aleppo, Syria, yesterday.
Qatar has welcomed the ceasefire agreement between opposition groups and the Syrian government struck yesterday through a Turkish-Russian mediation. The ceasefire was supposed to take effect from yesterday midnight.
In a statement issued yesterday, the Foreign Ministry said that Qatar welcomes the ceasefire agreement, which “would help in alleviating the suffering of the fraternal Syrian people,” QNA reports.
The ministry said that implementation of the agreement would be a step towards reaching a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire, ensuring the safety of civilians, and accelerating the delivery of humanitarian aid, stressing the need of the Syrian regime to comply with the agreement.
The ministry expressed hope that implementation of the agreement would lead to the resumption of the political process and swiftly reaching a political solution in line with the Geneva I communique and the relevant Security Council resolutions.
It stressed the importance of achieving international justice and holding those who committed crimes against the Syrian people accountable.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the ceasefire starting at midnight on Thursday. The parties were also prepared to start peace talks, Putin said, after Moscow, Iran and Turkey expressed readiness to broker a deal to settle the nearly six-year-old Syrian war, news agencies reported yesterday.
The Syrian army announced a nationwide halt to fighting but said Islamic State and ex-Nusra Front militants and all groups linked to them would be excluded from the deal. It did not say which unnamed groups would be excluded. Agencies quoted several rebel officials as saying they had agreed to the ceasefire, due to come into effect at 2200 GMT on Thursday.
It was the third nationwide ceasefire agreed in Syria this year. The previous two, negotiated by Washington and Moscow, collapsed within weeks as warring sides accused each other of violations. The current deal does not involve the United States or United Nations.
Talks on the latest truce picked up momentum after Russia, Iran and Turkey last week said they were ready to back a peace deal and adopted a declaration setting out principles that any agreement should adhere to.
Putin said opposition groups and the Syrian government had signed a number of documents, including the ceasefire, measures to monitor the truce, and a statement on readiness to start peace talks. “The agreements reached are, of course, fragile, need a special attention and involvement... But after all, this is a notable result of our joint work, efforts by the defence and foreign ministries, our partners in the regions,” Putin was quoting as saying. “With this agreement, parties have agreed to cease all armed attacks, including aerial, and have promised not to expand the areas they control against each other,” the Turkish foreign ministry said.
