Russia and US strive to save Syria ceasefire agreement

(Baonghean.vn) - The main topic of the phone call between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his US counterpart John Kerry on April 25 was to ensure compliance with the ceasefire between government forces and the opposition in Syria.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. Photo: RBTH.

The Russian Foreign Ministry's statement issued the same day said the two countries' foreign ministers continued to consider ways to coordinate to maintain and strengthen the ceasefire in Syria, ensure humanitarian aid for the people, and initiate a stabilization process towards a political solution in this Middle Eastern country.

The two diplomats stressed their full support for the UN-brokered talks between the Syrian government and the opposition taking place in Geneva, Switzerland, to determine the future state structure of Syria.

US State Department spokesman John Kirby said that during the phone call initiated by the US, the two diplomats mainly focused on discussing the end of hostilities in Syria, especially emphasizing the issue of "regular monitoring" of compliance with ceasefire conditions between government forces and opposition factions in the Middle Eastern country.

Mr. Kirby said that both the opposition and the Syrian army must be responsible for complying with the ceasefire regulations. In addition, he also affirmed that Washington and Moscow are responsible for monitoring the ceasefire, as well as wanting to end the hostilities in this Middle Eastern country under the control of all parties.

The ceasefire in Syria brokered by Russia and the United States came into effect at midnight on February 27. The ceasefire does not include the Islamic State (IS) or the Al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front. Nearly 100 opposition groups to the Syrian government have agreed to respect the ceasefire.

However, international public opinion is concerned that the temporary ceasefire in Syria is at risk of collapsing completely, after both the government army and the opposition accused each other of violating the ceasefire agreement in recent days. The Hijab opposition group has called on the foreign ministers of the International Syria Support Group to re-evaluate the ceasefire because it is clearly no longer in effect.

Part of the ancient city of Homs, Syria was destroyed. Photo: AP.

The nearly six-year conflict in Syria has claimed the lives of more than 270,000 people and forced millions of others to flee their homeland, creating a terrible refugee crisis in Europe.

So far, the Syrian peace negotiations have not yielded positive results, mainly because the parties still disagree on the political future of President Bashar Al Assad. The opposition demands that Mr. Assad step down to pave the way for the establishment of a transitional government, while the Syrian government affirms that it will only accept the establishment of an expanded government headed by President Assad./.

Lan Ha

(According to RBTH)