Cease Fire Declared in Syria

 

After five years of blood-letting between a wide array of splinter groups, governments, and terrorists a temporary truce has been enacted in Syria:

In the run-up to the midnight (22:00 GMT) deadline, US President Barack Obama warned the Syrian government and Russia “the world will be watching”.

Russian jets were reported to have intensified attacks on Syrian rebel positions on Friday.

Meanwhile, the UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura has announced that peace talks will resume on 7 March if the truce “largely holds”.

The UN Security Council also unanimously adopted a resolution drafted by the US and Russia that endorsed the truce agreement.

The pause in warfare is between government and nearly 100 rebel factions, but does not include ISIS or Al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate the Al Nusra Front. The question is, will a cease fire hold until March 7 — or even through the weekend?

Published in Foreign Policy
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  1. Tuck Inactive
    Tuck
    @Tuck

    Jon Gabriel, Ed.: …US President Barack Obama warned the Syrian government and Russia “the world will be watching”.

    He should draw a red line.

    God willing this will stick, the poor Syrians have been though enough.

    • #1
  2. James Gawron Inactive
    James Gawron
    @JamesGawron

    Jon,

    I used to say about agreements between the terror groups and Israel that the cease-fire wouldn’t last 20 minutes. Then I visited Israel and realized that I was wrong. The cease-fire was just a headline and the Jihadis kept shooting without a pause.

    It was a virtual cease-fire.

    Regards,

    Jim

    • #2
  3. BThompson Inactive
    BThompson
    @BThompson

    Jon Gabriel, Ed.:The pause in warfare … does not include ISIS or Al Qaeda’s Syrian affiliate the Al Nusra Front.

    So, not a cease fire at all then, just a PR stunt for Kerry and Obama to act like they are doing something.

    I doubt that Turkey, who is basically backing ISIS is fooled by any of this.

    • #3
  4. Manny Coolidge
    Manny
    @Manny

    If they give Obama and/or Kerry the Nobel Peace Prize for this I’m going to throw up.  But it’s not unlikely.

    • #4
  5. Paul Dougherty Member
    Paul Dougherty
    @PaulDougherty

    Well, another problem solved then.

    • #5
  6. Brian McMenomy Inactive
    Brian McMenomy
    @BrianMcMenomy

    “The world will be watching.”  That solves everything.

    • #6
  7. Paul Dougherty Member
    Paul Dougherty
    @PaulDougherty

    Brian McMenomy:“The world will be watching.” That solves everything.

    Right? That is something that most people don’t appreciate. Wars and belligerence start do to lack of attention from the smart guys in Davos. All these poor fighters needed was a little guidance.

    • #7
  8. Ontheleftcoast Inactive
    Ontheleftcoast
    @Ontheleftcoast

    Somehow this from Gen. Phillip Breedlove seems relevant:

    Russia has “chosen to be an adversary and poses a long-term existential threat” to the United States and U.S. allies and partners in Europe, he told lawmakers.

    Russia wants to “rewrite” the agreed rules of the international order, he said….

    Despite what he described as Russian pronouncements to the contrary, Russia has done little to counter ISIL in Syria, Breedlove said. Instead, Moscow has done a “great deal to bolster the Assad regime and its allies,” he remarked.

    Russian involvement in Syria has “wildly exacerbated the problem,” changing the dynamic in the air and on the ground, he said.

    “Russia and the Assad regime are deliberately weaponizing migration from Syria in an attempt to overwhelm European structures and break European resolve,” he said.

    • #8
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