Syrian Civil War

Russia: Putin announces Syrian ceasefire agreement with the US

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• published: 22 Feb 2016
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Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a press statement from Moscow, Monday, to announce that the US and Russia have adopted the "Terms for a Cessation of Hostilities in Syria." SOT, Vladimir Putin, Russian President (Russian): "Dear friends, I've just spoke over the phone to the U.S. president Barack Obama. The initiative came from the Russian side, but the interest was mutual without a doubt. During the discussion we approved the joint statement of Russia and the United States as Co-Chairs of the International Syria support group, on Cessation of Hostilities in this country. The approval of this statement was preceded by an intensive work by teams of RUssian and American experts. Positive experience from the cooperation on the destruction of Syrian chemicals weapons was used. Our negotiators held several rounds of closed talks. In the end, an important and concrete result was achieved. There is an agreement to cease hostilities in Syria starting midnight Damascus time on the 27th of February of 2016 on conditions that are a part of the Russian-US. statement. The essence of these conditions. By noon on the 26th of February 2016 all the fighting parties in Syria should indicate to us - or our American partners - their commitment to the ceasefire. Russian and American military men will jointly delineate the territory where these armed groups act. There will not be any military actions against them by the Forces of the Syrian Arab republic, and Russian Armed Forces and the US-led Counter ISIL Coalition. In turn, the opposition will stop its attacks against the Syrian Arab Republic and their supporters. As for ISIS, "Jabhat al-Nusra" and other terrorist organizations designated by the UN Security Council, they are completely excluded from the cessation of hostilities. It's crucial that Russia and US. as Co-Chairs of the Internation Syria support group are ready to start an efficient mechanism of realisation and control of ceasefire monitoring on part of the Syrian goverment and armed opposition groups. To do this, a communication hotline will be established and, if necessary, a working group to exchange relevant information. Russia will work with Damascus - Syria's legitimate government. We expect that the U.S. will do the same with their allies and groups supported by them. I'm sure that actions coordinated with the U.S. are able to radically change the course of action in Syria. There's finally a real chance to end years-long bloodshed and violence. As a result, humanitarian aid access to all the Syrian people in need should be provided. Importantly, conditions for a true political process through a wide political dialog are created under the auspices of UN in Geneva. Contemporary history, sadly, knows plenty of cases where one-sided actions without the UN approval made to suit short-time interests led to dramatic results. Everyone knows these names: Somali, Iraq, Libya, Yemen. Compared to this, the U.S.-Russian agreement on cessation of hostilities in Syria, their joint realisation together with all the countries-members of ISSG can become an example of responsible actions of the international community, based on the norms of international law and UN principles. I hope that the Syrian government and all our partners in and out of the region will support the sequence of actions chosen by the representatives of Russia and the U.S." Video ID: 20160222-048 Video on Demand: http://www.ruptly.tv Contact: cd@ruptly.tv Twitter: http://twitter.com/Ruptly Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Ruptly LiveLeak: http://www.liveleak.com/c/Ruptly Vine: https://vine.co/Ruptly Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/Ruptly YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/RuptlyTV DailyMotion: http://www.dailymotion.com/ruptly