The United States and Russia have reportedly agreed to the terms of a partial ceasefire in Syria that would go into effect at midnight Friday, according to a report from the Obama administration. The details of the ceasefire are still unclear, however ISIS- and al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front militants are confirmed to be excluded from the pact, reported Reuters. Thus allowing continued airstrikes against both terrorist factions.
After agreeing to the terms of the truce, the terms were detailed to a negotiating team representing the Syrian opposition, who has until noon Friday to approve them. The leader of the opposition alliance has since declared that rebel factions have agreed "in principle" to the mediated temporary truce; while Riad Hijab, the groups representative, also called on Russia, Iran and the Syrian government to cease ongoing attacks, lift blockades and release prisoners in Syria.
This development comes after an initial agreement on Feb. 12 by Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, at a meeting with other world powers. The truce was slated to go into effect last Friday but the deadline passed, according to the BBC.
The pair held near daily discussions to to hammer out problems in the arrangement and speaking to reporters on Sunday, Kerry said that they were closer than ever to reaching an agreement.
"We are closer to a ceasefire today than we have been, and I take nothing for granted about this," he told reporters at a joint press conference with Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh, according to CNN.
Now with all relevant parties agreeing to the ceasefire, all that remains is for U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin to complete the provisional agreement in principle. Once done, an official statement about the agreement is expected to be made.
