US, Russia strike deal to save Syria ceasefire

Moscow / AFP

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov said on Friday they had agreed on “concrete steps” to salvage a failing truce and tackle extremist groups in Syria but refrained from laying out their deal.
The top diplomats emerged from 12-hour marathon talks saying they agreed on the way forward, but Kerry stressed that the details of the deal would not be made public to allow the “quiet business” of peacemaking to continue.
“I want to emphasise though that they are not based on trust, they define specific sequential responsibilities all parties to the conflict must assume with the intent to stop altogether the indiscriminate bombing of the Assad regime and stepping up our efforts against Al-Nusra,” Kerry said, referring to the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda. “Each of us know exactly what we have to do.”
Speaking alongside Lavrov, Kerry told reporters that if the steps are implemented “in good faith”, they could “help restore the cessation of hostilities, significantly reduce the violence and help create the space for a negotiated and credible political transition.”
The United States was touting a proposal for closer US-Russian military cooperation in Syria against Al-Qaeda and IS fighters, but Russia has been cool to the idea.
In exchange, Moscow would be required to pressure its ally Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad to ground his own jets and end attacks on civilians and the moderate opposition.
Earlier in the day, Kerry and Lavrov paid tribute to the victims of the Nice truck attack that has left at least 84 people dead by laying flowers in front of the French embassy in Moscow and signing a book of condolences. They had also begun their talks with a minute’s silence for the victims of what US President Barack Obama described as a “tragic and appalling” attack, with Kerry stressing the importance of a united front against extremism.

Air raids kill 21 civilians in Syria’s Aleppo

Aleppo / AFP

Air raids on rebel-held districts of Syria’s battleground second city of Aleppo killed at least 21 civilians including children on Saturday, a monitor said.
“Eleven civilians, including four children, were killed by air raids after midnight in the Bab al-Nasr area of Old Aleppo, and seven others were killed in Fardous neighbourhood,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
Two people including a young girl were killed in the Maadi district, and another civilian died in bombardment on Bustan al-Qasr, the Britain-based monitor said.
The Observatory, which relies on a network of sources across Syria for its information, warned that the toll could rise due to the number of critically wounded. “At least 20 people are still under the rubble,” said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.
A correspondent at the scene said helicopters and fighter jets were still circling rebel-held
neighbourhoods.