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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Munich Meeting Agrees on "Cessation of Hostilities" in Syria within Week |
| 2016-02-13 |
| [ALMANAR.LB] World powers on Friday agreed an ambitious plan to cease hostilities in Syria within a week and dramatically ramp up humanitarian access at talks in Munich aimed at reviving the struggling grinding of the peace processor. The 17 countries agreed "to implement a nationwide cessation of hostilities to begin in a target of one week's time," said US Secretary of State John F. I was in Vietnam, you knowKerry Former Senator-for-Life from Massachussetts, self-defined war hero, speaker of French, owner of a lucky hat,conqueror of Cambodia, and current Secretary of State... after extended talks co-hosted by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The so-called 'International Syria Support Group' also agreed "to accelerate and expand the delivery of humanitarian aid beginning immediately". "Sustained delivery will begin this week, first to the areas where it is most urgently needed... and then to all the people in need throughout the country, particularly in the besieged and hard to reach areas," said Kerry. Earlier this month, the Syrian army and allied forces pressed an offensive on the key terrorists' stronghold of Aleppo. Kerry said talks between opposition factions and the Syrian government would resume as soon as possible, but warned that "what we have here are words on paper -- what we need to see in the next few days are actions on the ground." For his part, Lavrov called "for direct contacts between the Russian and US military" in Syria and said negotiations on a political transition "have to start as soon as possible, without ultimatums and preconditions". Kerry said the cessation of hostilities would apply to all groups apart from "the terrorist organizations" of the so-called 'Islamic State ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allaharound with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not reallyMoslems.... of Iraq and the Levant' (ISIL) and Al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra ...formally Jabhat an-Nusrah li-Ahli sh-Sham (Support Front for the People of the Levant), also known as al-Qaeda in the Levant. They aim to establish a pan-Arab caliphate. Not the same one as the Islamic State, though .. ... Front takfiri ...an adherent of takfir wal hijra, an offshoot of Salafism that regards everybody who doesn't agree with them as apostates who most be killed... groups. A UN task force, co-chaired by Russia and the US, will work over the coming week "to develop the modalities for a long-term, comprehensive and durable cessation of violence," Kerry said. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #5 Waitaminute! Aren't ISIS and al Nusra the two major combatant groups? So that's like saying World War I is over, except for the French and the Germans. And maybe their allies.... |
| Posted by: Bobby 2016-02-13 08:33 |
| #4 What's the over/under on the duration? Please state your estimate in hours rounded to the nearest minute. |
| Posted by: AlanC 2016-02-13 07:41 |
| #3 Related: At long last, there may be some good news out of Syria. Russia, the United States, and some of the combatants in the Syrian Civil War have agreed to a partial cease-fire — one that does not apply to ISIS and the al-Nusra front. My emphasis added. Link to article found in National Review. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2016-02-13 05:41 |
| #2 |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2016-02-13 05:09 |
| #1 Wonderful news, I was getting a bit worried that the hostilities would last a bit longer. |
| Posted by: BernardZ 2016-02-13 03:13 |