Obama , EU Leaders Call on All Parties to Implement Syria Ceasefire

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — US President Barack Obama spoke with the leaders of the United Kingdom, Germany and France on Tuesday, who emphasized the importance of implementing a pending truce in Syria and protecting trapped civilians, the White House said in a statement.

“The leaders welcomed the prospect of a cessation of hostilities in Syria as outlined by the understanding reached in Munich on February 11,” the statement said summarizing the discussion. “The leaders underscored the importance of an immediate halt to the indiscriminate bombing of civilian populations.”

UK Prime Minister David Cameron, French President Francois Hollande, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel participated in the video-conference.

A cessation of hostilities agreement set to begin at midnight on Saturday is intended to halt fighting between rival factions in Syria’s civil war, including the Russian-backed government of Syrian President Bashar Assad and US-backed Islamic rebels who are attempting to remove Assad from office.

The agreement excludes organizations designated as terrorist by the United Nations, including Daesh, also known as the Islamic State, and the Nusra Front.

At least 250,000 people have been killed in Syria since the outbreak of fighting in March 2011.