The UN will delay the next round of Syria peace talks by two days to allow the cessation of hostilities in force since Saturday to take hold, UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said.
International observers have acknowledged violations of the agreement intended to halt nearly five years of fighting while reporting that the level of violence has decreased considerably.
“We are delaying it to the afternoon of (March) 9th for logistical and technical reasons and also for the ceasefire to better settle down,” de Mistura said yesterday. The talks had been pencilled in for March 7.
The cessation of hostilities was “a glimmer of hope”, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said, although he accused the opposition of violating the agreement.
The opposition in turn says the Syrian government has breached the fragile truce by repeatedly attacking its positions, which the government denies.
The cessation of hostilities agreement, drawn up by the US and Russia, is seen by the UN as an opportunity to revive peace talks which collapsed before they had even started a month ago in Geneva.
It also hopes the truce will allow humanitarian aid to be sent into besieged areas where many Syrians are living in dire conditions.
However, the opposition said it had yet to be officially informed of a new round of talks on March 9, insisting that no serious discussions can begin before detainees are freed and blockades are lifted.
Riad Nassan Agha, a member of the High Negotiations Committee, said the opposition would study the call for talks based on developments on the ground, adding that it heard of the March 9 date only through the media.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said there was an urgent need to implement the agreement and for the warring parties to return to the negotiating table, a UN statement said.
“They agreed on the importance of urgently moving forward simultaneously on implementing the cessation of hostilities agreement, providing vital humanitarian assistance to civilians, and returning to political negotiations,” the statement said.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said on Monday that while efforts were being made to track down alleged violations of the cessation of hostilities, there was currently no evidence to suggest they would destabilise the fragile peace.
In a telephone conversation yesterday, Lavrov and Kerry reaffirmed the importance of coordination, chiefly military, between Moscow and Washington to strengthen the truce, the Russian foreign ministry reported.