Kerry: Deal reached to end hostilities in Syria
An agreement to cease hostilities in Syria has been reached, Secretary of State John Kerry announced Thursday in Munich.
The announcement came after a meeting with major powers in Munich to address the ongoing civil war in the Middle Eastern nation.
“We have agreed to implement a nationwide cessation of hostilities to begin in a target of one week’s time,” Kerry said in a joint press conference alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura.
“That’s ambitious, but everybody is determined to move as rapidly as possible to try to achieve this.”
Kerry added that terror groups like Nusra and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria will not be subject to the agreement.
The announcement came after a meeting with diplomats from 17 countries in Munich to address the ongoing civil war in the Middle Eastern nation.
The parties involved also agreed to allow for immediate humanitarian aid to residents of besieged Syrian cities.
The agreement comes as Syrian forces, with the aid of Russian airstrikes, have been closing on the opposition-held city of Aleppo.
– Updated at 7:53 p.m.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
