'Cessation of hostilities' goes into effect in Syria

ANKARA/WASHINGTON

“Cessation of hostilities”, U.S.-Russia agreement aimed at halting the ongoing hostilities in Syria has taken effect at 00:00 Damascus time Saturday (GMT2200 Friday).

Earlier this week, Washington and Moscow announced a “cessation of hostilities” in Syria, which is expected to allow aid to be delivered to Syrians.

Less than an hour before the deal was set to take effect, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution endorsing the cessation of hostilities.

The resolution demanded "all parties to whom the cessation of hostilities applies ... fulfill their commitments" and urged major countries to use their influence with the warring parties "to support efforts to create conditions for a durable and lasting cease-fire".

In Washington, the White House urged patience just hours before the agreement goes into effect, acknowledging that there will be "violations along the way".

“It is unlikely that we’ll be able to judge the cessation of hostilities as a success or failure within the first couple of days or even within the first couple of weeks, because we do anticipate that we’re going to encounter some speed bumps along the way," spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters.

He added that the Syrian government and Russia's continued military activity in the country "are in direct conflict with the commitments that they made".

According to UN figures released several months ago, more than 250,000 have been killed since the Syrian war began in 2011.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that around 400,000 people had died and 12 million people been displaced since the war started.