German FM welcomes truce deal in Syria's Aleppo

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Wednesday welcomed the agreement reached on a ceasefire in Syria's Aleppo.

The Syrian army announced earlier on the day that a 48-hour regime of silence would start in Syria's northern city of Aleppo as of Thursday.

The truce comes as Aleppo has witnessed over 10 violent days, during which over 120 people were killed and hundreds of others wounded.

"When the ceasefire is respected, it is far more than a great relief for the people in Aleppo. It is also an important basis for the Geneva talks between Assad regime and the Syrian opposition to be resumed as soon as possible," said Steinmeier in a statement.

The minister called on the Syrian government and all groups fighting in the war-torn country to fully respect the ceasefire and to create "a pause for breath" for the people in Aleppo "after weeks of fear and despair."

Steinmeier on Wednesday has talked here with his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault, United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura and Riad Hijab, head of the main Syrian opposition group High Negotiations Committee (HNC), to discuss the situation in Syria.

Steinmeier and Ayrault said after the meeting that achieving a ceasefire in Aleppo was critical to renewing peace talks on ending the war in Syria.

"I believe everyone knows and can conclude that there could be no return to the political talks in Geneva if a ceasefire in and around Aleppo is not observed," Steinmeier told reporters. Endit