Cessation of hostilities in Syria to be announced shortly

Cessation of hostilities in the Syrian city of Aleppo will be announced in the coming hours, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday after talks with UN envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura.

Lavrov said the US and Russian militaries were currently holding talks on the Aleppo ceasefire.

"I hope that in the coming hours such an agreement will be announced," the minister was quoted by RT after the meeting in Moscow.

Lavrov also announced the creation of a new Russian-US monitoring centre in Geneva, Switzerland, which will oversee ceasefire violations in Syria.

"We are grateful to the UN for its help in solving logistical issues on the creation of this centre in Geneva where the militaries of the two countries will discuss face-to-face specific developments on the ground," he said.

Moscow is also urging Washington to distinguish between extremists and the Syrian opposition, Lavrov added.

"To make the ceasefire work and make it inclusive, our partners must do everything possible to remove the moderate opposition, which relies on foreign support, from the positions occupied by the terrorists."

Lavrov also called for an extended ceasefire in Syria. "Of course, there are separate groups who would like to undermine the cessation of hostilities, to provoke an escalation (of the crisis). We can not let them do it," he said.

--IANS

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