Syria
The weapons in Syria to be silent – for the time being
After almost five years of civil war with more than 250,000 dead in Syria, a ceasefire came into force. At the same time was the UN special envoy de Mistura a date for the continuation of the peace talks known.
A market Stall just before the start of the cease-fire in the embattled city of Aleppo
Shortly after the beginning of the cease-fire in the Bürgerkriegsland Syria has on most fronts, according to observers, peace prevailed. The head of the Syrian Observatory for human rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, explained: “After midnight (local time), we have no shelling or fighting in Hama, Homs, Latakia, and some areas around Aleppo and in Daraa registered.” Also Russian fighter jets were after midnight, not in the sky.
Before midnight, it still had fierce battles and Beschießungen in the Region Daraja outside of Damascus given, said Rahman, the German press Agency. The Syrian armed forces had declared, Daraja was the cease-fire excluded, because there were fighters of Al-Nusra Front, an offshoot of the Terrornetzwerks Al-Qaeda operated. Opposition groups objected to this representation. The details of the oppositionsnahen Observatory based in the United Kingdom are independent is difficult to verify.
A Russian fighter jet on a Syrian air force base
The US and Russia had at the beginning of the week on the cease-fire agreement. The government, in the Saudi capital, Riyadh-based High Verhandlungskomitee (HNC) of the opponents of the regime, and around 100 militias have the truce agreed to. Excluded from it are the Terrormiliz “Islamic state” (IS) and the Al-Nusra Front.
Test case for further peace talks
The ceasefire to open the way for the resumption of the peace talks at 7. March level. This date is shared UN-Sondervermittler Staffan de Mistura to the security Council shortly before the entry into force of the truce with. Prerequisites for the continuation of the peace talks, the cease-fire was respected and that further aid allows would were de Mistura. The recent talks in Geneva were at the beginning of February without a new appointment has been terminated.
The UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura
Previous plans for a way out of the conflict in Syria to see a Transitional government, the drafting of a new Constitution and new elections. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin described the planned peace process as “difficult”. Also, the Turkish government expressed skepticism.
The UN security Council urged the warring parties in the evening for the observance of the truce. One of Russia and the USA brought in the appropriate Resolution adopted by the panel unanimously. It was again a “cessation of hostilities” is required.
Happening now: Syria Envoy Staffan de Mistura is briefing journalists in @UNGeneva: https://t.co/ytqWQl5pGa https://t.co/Zh0m1w6QM7
— United Nations (@UN) 26. February 2016
The ceasefire according to expectations of the Russian military only in six very small areas of Syria shall apply. Experts of the critical Moscow Internet portal Conflict Intelligence Team related to a Video of the Russian Ministry of defense on Wednesday, in which the corresponding map has been shown.
In the days before the beginning of the cease-fire, there were massive doubts about whether the ceasefire holds. Opponents expressed the fear that the Regime and its allies, attacks on terrorist groups to use against more moderate militias to take action, because several militias have used their positions in the vicinity of the of the cease-fire excluded Al-Nusra fighters. It is within a short period of time, the second attempt, the violence after five years of civil war to end. A first date for a cease-fire was in the last week has ended without the violence ended.
stu/pab (afp, dpa)