BEIJING (Sputnik) — On Monday, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced an agreement on cessation of hostilities between the Syrian government of President Bashar Assad and the armed opposition factions had been reached. The agreement will come into force on February 27.
"The United States and Russia reached the agreement on that issue [ceasefire in Syria]. It signalizes that all sides are making efforts to realize the consensus. We welcome this [deal]… It will help to consolidate efforts on the way to political settlement and promote further negotiation process," Hua said at a briefing.
According to UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, only a ceasefire and humanitarian progress in Syria will make the intra-Syrian talks, which are currently on pause, credible.
