UNSC Endorses Ceasefire Plan in Syria

UN Security Council welcomes Syria truce.

Washington, 02 Rabiul Akhir 1438/01 January 2017 (MINA) – The UN Security Council (UNSC) adopted a resolution on Saturday that endorses a ceasefire plan in the Syrian civil war.

A ceasefire announced this week was the third one this year that sought to end the nearly six-year war.

The resolution called for the “rapid, safe and unhindered” delivery of humanitarian aid in Syria, making note of an expected meeting of Syrian government and opposition representatives in Kazakhstan next month.

The final text of the resolution dropped an endorsement of the ceasefire agreement brokered on Thursday by Russia and Turkey, after Western members of the council sought changes to clarify the UN role and the meaning of the Thursday agreement.

From Ankara, KUNA reported that Turkish Defense Minister Fikri Isik on Saturday indicated that the cease-fire brokered by Ankara and Moscow in Syria was generally holding with no major breaches of the truce.

The minister, who was inspecting army troops and gendarmeries deployed in the southeastern town of Srinak, charged that “some states are acting behind the curtains to undermine the truce accord in Syria.”

Ankara and Moscow declared a cease-fire on all frontlines in Syria, effective Thursday midnight, however there have been reports of bitter fighting on the outskirts of Damascus and air attacks elsewhere.

The two power brokers have indicated that the truce is not applicable on “terrorist groups” in Syria, namely the so-called Islamic State and its affiliates. (T/RS05/RS01)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)