US, Russia agree to cease-fire in parts of Syria

By Esra Kaymak Avci

WASHINGTON

The U.S. and Russia agreed to reinforce a short term cease-fire for northern Latakia and eastern Ghouta in Syria, where attacks against civilians have increased recently, the State Department said Friday.

Despite a two-month-old truce, "renewed fighting between the various groups, the regime and the opposition, armed opposition", continue, according to the agency spokesman Mark Toner.

A cessation of hostilities was agreed to in February by the U.S. and Russia as part of the International Syria Support Group that is working to end the crisis in Syria. The deal excluded Daesh and al-Nusra.

While the U.S. supports the opposition in Syria, Russia backs the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

With the latest agreement, both sides are expected to use their influence on their respective sides to stop the ongoing violence. If the deal works to stop clashes in these two specific areas, "it would be also applied to other trouble spots", according to Toner.

Asked whether it was a guarantee that the Syrian regime or the opposition would abide by the new deal, Toner said there were "indications" on the U.S. side with the opposition that it would but he indicated that he could not speak for the Russian side with the Assad regime.

Toner was also asked why the U.S. and Russia focused only on two specific cities and not the entire country, especially Aleppo.

"It's a recognition that Aleppo is very complex and the fighting around there is indeed, as you put it, alarming," Toner replied.

Aleppo has been a "trouble spot", since several groups -- both parties to the cessation of hostilities agreement and those that are not -- are fighting on the ground.

The 72-hour cease-fire for Latakia and 24-hour truce for Ghuta will begin Saturday at 00.01 a.m. local time.

Toner said it was a test of Russia and the Assad regime's commitments to whether they could abide by the new cease-fire.

"If we don't go into it with the expectation that they'll comply with it, then of course, the whole premise is undercut," Toner added.

Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov spoke via telephone Friday about the recent violence, according to Toner.

A White House spokesman described the new deal as a "refreshment of the cessation of hostilities” and said it is the U.S.’s hope is to build momentum toward a "broadly observed cessation of hostilities."