WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – The first line of monitoring the adherence to the ceasefire in Syria require the parties to be in close contact with each other, a US State Department official said Sunday.
"The first line of monitoring compliance with this cessation will be the parties themselves… Especially in the early days, these focal points will need to be in constant touch by email, phone and video-conferencing, working out of capitals and in the region," the official told RIA Novosti.
According to the official, there are networks being set up among all parties to be able to exchange the information quickly, and then they will have to decide how to respond to it.
On February 22, Russia and the United States reached an agreement on the ceasefire in Syria. According to the Moscow and Washington’s joint statement, the ceasefire was to take effect on February 27 and excluded the terrorist groups Islamic State (Daesh) and the Nusra Front (both outlawed in Russia).
The UN Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2268 endorsing the Russia-US agreement on the cessation of hostilities in Syria on Friday, shortly before the ceasefire came into force. The cessation of hostilities does not apply to designated terrorist organizations operating in Syria, including Islamic State (Daesh) and the Nusra Front, a group affiliated with al-Qaeda.
Russia and the United States can bomb any Syrian militant groups that have expressed their unwillingness to observe the ceasefire, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov noted. Washington, in its turn, said it was discussing a so-called Plan B to be implemented in the event that the Syrian ceasefire agreement is violated. Moscow has ruled out any Plan B for Syria.
