"Currently everyone in Syria wants a truce. We want it too. We want the bloodshed to stop. We want life in Syria to go back to normal. However, every force fighting in Syria pursues its own goals. The end of war is clearly not a goal for some of these forces because it is not in their interests. I think that fighting will stop for some time, but it will resume once again because serious games are being played in Syria," he elaborated.
The deal between Damascus and armed Syrian opposition was unveiled by Russian President Vladimir Putin on December 29, with the nationwide truce taking effect the next day. The ceasefire has been repeatedly violated since then. On Sunday, the Russian Center for reconciliation of opposing sides in Syria reported that it had registered 21 violations in the last 24 hours.
Russia and Turkey act as co-guarantors of the new ceasefire. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Egypt could soon become part of the Syrian peace talks, adding that Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan and Iraq will also be invited to take part in these efforts in the future.
"Saudi Arabia and Qatar are closely following the ceasefire," Salih Muslim said. "They want to see its first outcomes."
Saudi Arabia and Qatar have long provided support to some of the radical groups fighting in Syria. Their assistance has been viewed as one of the factors contributing to the continuation of the nearly six-years-long war.
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