Negotiations between Syrian government and anti-government forces mediated by America and Russia
Peace talks aimed at resolving Syria’s deadly five-year civil war appeared to make some progress on Sunday, Feb. 21, 2016. United States Secretary of State John Kerry announced that a “provisional agreement” on the cessation of hostilities had been reached with Russia.
However, on the same day as Kerry’s announcement, a series of suicide bombings hit the Shia shrine of Sayyida Zeinab in the Syrian capital of Damascus, as well as the city of Homs.
The United States and Russia met to negotiate a “cessation of hostilities” after the most recent round of peace talks were suspended when the Syrian government, backed by Russian air strikes, attacked rebel fighters north of Aleppo.
“I concluded, frankly, that after the first week of preparatory talks there is more work to be done, not only by us but by the stakeholders,” said Staffan de Mistrura, a United Nations mediator, on Feb. 3, 2016.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) claimed that it was responsible for the attacks on Sunday, where at least 140 people were killed, mainly civilians. Russia claimed that the bomb attacks were directed at “subverting attempts” to reach a political settlement
As of Feb. 22, 2016, the United States and Russia have settled on a “cessation of hostilities” between the Syrian government and the groups opposing it. Two of the opposition groups—the al-Nusra Front and ISIL—were excluded from the agreement, as they are listed as terrorist groups by the UN Security Council.
“It was agreed that the cessation of hostilities in Syria commences at 00:00 on February 27, 2016 on terms and conditions that are a part of the Russian-American statement,” said Russian President Vladimir Putin, on Feb. 22, 2016.
According to Putin, the warring parties have been given until noon on Friday, Feb. 25, 2016 to indicate a commitment to the truce.
Kerry called the document promising, saying, “If implemented and adhered to, this cessation will not only lead to a decline in violence, but also continue to expand the delivery of urgently needed humanitarian supplies to besieged areas and support a political transition to a government that is responsive to the desires of the Syrian people.”
These talks mark the first time that the opposing sides of the Syrian civil war have met to negotiate since two rounds of negotiations collapsed in 2014.
According to a report by the Syrian Center for Policy Research, more than 470,000 Syrians have lost their lives over the past five years as initially peaceful anti-government protests in March 2011 escalated into a full scale war.