BEIRUT, Lebanon – Turkey’s deputy prime minister said on Monday he agrees with the cease-fire plan for Syria’s civil war and hopes the plan is thoroughly implemented, Associated Press reported. Numan Kurtulmus added that Russia should stop its air campaign in northern Syria, which he claimed was killing innocent people under the excuse of fighting Islamic State.
After a Cabinet meeting, the minister remarked Turkey’s position that Syrian President Bashar Assad should resign, saying he did not have the right to decide over Syria’s future.
An agreement for a cease-fire in Syria reached by the United States and Russia is set to begin on Saturday, excluding attacks on the Islamic State group and the Nusra Front, al-Qaeda’s local affiliate, and other terrorist groups.
U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement on Monday saying that, if respected, the agreement would mark a significant step toward a more durable cease-fire and would lead to the resumption of peace talks. He added that there might be an end to the suffering of Syrian people after five years of suffering.
Ban pointed out that the implementation of the agreement would not be easy work and called on the parties involved to stick to the plan.
Obama and Putin sealed the agreement by phone at the Russian president’s request
Earlier on Monday U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone about the new cessation of hostilities for Syria. The White House said Obama certainly welcomed the agreement but told Putin that the Assad’s government and opposition forces were now required to faithfully implement the agreement.
Putin said on Russian television that his country would work with the Syrian government and expected the U.S. did the same with the opposition forces it supports. He described the agreement as a successful result of intense work by the Russians and Americans and hoped it would provide an example to other world leaders in the war on terrorism.
The U.S. State Department released a five-page plan with details of the deal’s terms. In addition, the White House also said Obama asked Putin to implement a cease-fire agreement in Ukraine and support free elections in the eastern of the country.
Rebel factions have agreed “in principle” to an internationally-mediated temporary cease-fire deal, according to Riad Hijab, the leader of a Syrian opposition alliance supported by Saudi Arabia. The Associated Press reported that he called on Russia, Iran and the Assad’s government to lift blockades and release prisoners held in Syria.
Source: Yahoo News