Zakharova: US doubts about cessation of hostilities agreement attempt to sabotage it

Moscow, SANA- Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said it looks like some US officials are openly sabotaging the joint Russian-US agreement on cessation of hostilities in Syria by casting doubts on the agreement.

“Of course, we heard the first reactions from Washington in regard to the joint agreement. Honestly, we did not expect that some officials in the United States would interpret this Russian-American agreement in such a diametrically opposite manner,” Zakhrova said in a press conference on Thursday.

“We are confident that the fair application of all clauses of the Russian-US agreement opens realistic prospects to improve the humanitarian situation in Syria and pushing the large-scale political settlement process forward under UN auspices,” she added.

Zakharova pointed out that the cessation of hostilities agreement will enter force next Friday and will include only the Syrian government forces and opposition groups which have agreed to a cessation of hostilities.

Zakharova hit out at the Western media creating an impression that Russia will stop its operation against Islamic State, the Nusra Front and other terrorist groups”.
“There was no talk of ending the fight against terrorism, there is no such talk and there won’t be any,” she said.

Zakharova announced that military personnel from Russia and the US have begun to exchange information about the terrorist organizations in Syria, noting that the success of the agreement depends on the will of the parties and their commitment to fulfill the obligations they have assumed.

Zakharova slammed Ankara over a statement made by Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu who said that the ceasefire in Syria is not obligatory for Turkey.
Zakharova considered that the talk about deploying Saudi warplanes in Turkey does not contribute to strengthening the confidence with regard to the application of cessation of hostilities agreement in Syria, wondering “what is the purpose of this step? does it contribute to building confidence? The answer is no”.

Commenting on a statement by US Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, who expressed concern over cooperation between Kurdish Protection Units, Russian Air Force and the Syrian Arab Army, Zakharova said that Russia has insisted on the need to form a broad coalition of anti-terrorism powersto confront terrorist organizations on the ground, including the Syrian and Iraqi armies, Kurdish units and national opposition.

Manar al-Frieh/Manal

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