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Meeting on ceasefire in Syria postponed: Russian FM

Xinhua, February 20, 2016 Adjust font size:

The meeting on cessation of hostilities in Syria in the framework of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), which was scheduled for Saturday, has been postponed, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

"We will announce a new date later," RIA Novosti news agency quoted the ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova as saying. She added that the ISSG members continued consultations on the issue.

Also on Saturday, a senior Syrian opposition member said that intra-Syrian talks under the UN aegis would resume on Feb. 25 in the Swiss city of Montreux.

The visiting president of the Movement of the Pluralistic Society Randa Kassis said that she has received confirmation from the organizing committee on the meeting.

The peace process of the Syria crisis falters although last week's ISSG meeting in Germany's Munich reached agreement on nationwide cessation of hostilities in Syria to be implemented soon and the delivering of humanitarian aid to besieged area of the war-battered country.

Although doubts are raised over the real ceasefire, international diplomatic efforts were paid off as the Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed Friday that consultations at the expert level between Russia and the United States were held in Geneva on the implementation of the ISSG agreement.

The results will be "submitted for the (broader international) group's approval," Zakharova said.

In addition, the UN Security Council met Friday afternoon to discuss a draft resolution broached by Russia over concerns about the deteriorating Syrian-Turkish border situation and Turkey's calls for sending ground forces to Syria, but Russia's proposal against the idea of dispatching ground forces to Syria was shelved.

With regard to this, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Saturday expressed regret that the draft resolution was not supported.

"The Kremlin is concerned about the growing tension on the Syrian-Turkish border ... In general, of course, Russia considers such cross-border shelling by the Turkish artillery against the Syrian territory inadmissible," Peskov said.

He stressed that Russia would continue "consistent, transparent and understandable" policy in order to fight terrorism and help maintain territorial integrity of countries in the Middle East region. Endi