Aid set to arrive in Syria after powers agree to cease-fire

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[h=4]Aid set to arrive in Syria after powers agree to cease-fire[/h]Syria's five-year-long civil war has killed more than 250,000 people, driven more than 4 million people from the country and led to Europe's worst refugee crisis since World War II.

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Major world powers have agreed to a "cessation of hostilities" in Syria. So what exactly does that mean? VPC


Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (left) and U.N. Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria Staffan de Mistura (right) hold a press conference after the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) meeting in Munich, Germany, Feb. 11, 2016.(Photo: SVEN HOPPE, EPA)


MUNICH — Humanitarian aid may soon<span style="color: Red;">*</span>head to<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Syria,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>just<span style="color: Red;">*</span>hours after<span style="color: Red;">*</span>diplomats here reached a deal that could lead to a cease-fire.
Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the temporary "cessation of hostilities" in Munich ahead of a security conference here that got<span style="color: Red;">*</span>underway Friday.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Dozens of world leaders and senior diplomats are attending. The effort to achieve a cease-fire was described by Kerry as "unanimous" and "ambitious."
"The challenge now is to make sure that we can create the conditions on the ground for the cease-fire to take place," Federica Mogherini, the European Union's senior foreign affairs diplomat, told reporters in Munich.
Syria's<span style="color: Red;">*</span>five-year-long<span style="color: Red;">*</span>civil war has killed more than 250,000 people, driven more than 4 million people from the country<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and led to<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Europe's worst refugee crisis since<span style="color: Red;">*</span>World War II.
USA TODAY
U.S., Russia agree to a deal for a cease-fire in Syria's civil war




But while the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>announcement marks a potentially<span style="color: Red;">*</span>significant development, it comes as President Bashar Assad's military, backed by Russian air support, closes in on the Syrian opposition held city of Aleppo. It also arrives<span style="color: Red;">*</span>amid major differences between Russia and the United States over how to best achieve peace in Syria.
David Miliband,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>president and CEO of<span style="color: Red;">*</span>aid organization the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>International Rescue Committee, said the agreement needs detail and urgency, and that people in Syria should not have to wait for relief from bombings.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>"We wait with eager anticipation to see whether this agreement is a turning point or a false dawn,” he said.
Russia is backing Assad, while the U.S. wants the Syrian president to step aside and is aiding some rebel groups.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>The cease-fire would not include the Islamic State and al-Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate in Syria. Both are terrorist groups that a U.S.-led coalition is battling in Syria and Iraq.
Salim al-Muslat, a spokesman for the main Syrian opposition group<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the High Negotiations Committee, welcomed the plan to work toward a cease-fire and send humanitarian aid, but said<span style="color: Red;">*</span>there<span style="color: Red;">*</span>must be action and implementation<span style="color: Red;">*</span>before his group would participate in<span style="color: Red;">*</span>political<span style="color: Red;">*</span>talks<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Switzerland.
USA TODAY
Russian airstrikes target mosques in Syria




Syrian opposition groups pulled out of peace talks in Geneva last week<span style="color: Red;">*</span>as Russia intensified its bombing campaign around Aleppo. Lavrov said Friday that its bombs would nevertheless continue to strike "terrorists." Staffan de Mistura, the United Nations' special envoy on Syria, said the talks would resume by Feb. 25.
The talks in Munich were held under the auspices of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), a collective that in addition to Russia and U.S. includes over a dozen countries from Europe and the Middle East. The ISSG said that the delivery of<span style="color: Red;">*</span>humanitarian aid to Syria would be urgently expanded this week by air and land.
"Everybody (Friday)<span style="color: Red;">*</span>agreed on the urgency of humanitarian access. And what we have here are words on paper. What we need to see in the next few days are actions on the ground in the field," Kerry said.
Contributing: Jim Michaels
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