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Ceasefire coordination center set up in Syria: Russian MoD

Xinhua, February 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

A coordination center was created and began operations at Syria's Hmeimim airbase in order to implement the ceasefire, the Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

"In accordance with the Russian-US Feb. 22 agreement on the cessation of hostilities in Syria, for the implementation of mechanism to monitor compliance with the ceasefire regime, a coordination center for reconciliation of the warring parties was created and started operations at the Russian airbase Hmeimim on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic," the ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.

The Syrian airbase was used to deploy Russian air forces since last September when Moscow started airstrikes against terrorist targets in Syria.

Konashenkov said that Syrian opposition groups willing to start peace talks may get help from the center to establish contact with the Syrian government.

"Russian contact information for hotline connection (primary and backup) was transferred to Americans," RIA Novosti news agency quoted the ministry as saying.

The ministry added that the Russian side expected Washington to provide the same data.

The U.S. and Russia announced on Monday in a joint statement that any party engaged in conflict in Syria will indicate to Russia or the U.S. their commitment to the ceasefire by no later than 12:00 (Damascus time) on Saturday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called the ceasefire agreement "a real step" toward ending five years of bloodshed in Syria. Enditem