A Syrian ceasefire agreement could be reached within 24 hours, the Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Tuesday. Speaking to reporters in London, Jubeir said talks between the United States and Russia were a work in progress.
“There is a possibility of arriving at an understanding in the next 24 hours or so that will test Bashar al-Assad’s seriousness to comply,” Jubeir said. However, Jubeir expressed pessimism over the regime’s implementation of any ceasefire deal, given its violation of previous agreements.
Turkey on Tuesday said it hoped a ceasefire in Syria could be implemented in time for Eid al-Adha, which falls on September 12, despite the failure of world powers to announce a deal at the G20 summit in China.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman, Ibrahim Kalin, revealed that the Turkish leader had met separately with Russian and US counterparts Vladimir Putin and Barack Obama a second time before leaving the G20 meeting in Hangzhou.
Kalin said that President Erdogan had told the two leaders that it was essential “as soon as possible to agree a ceasefire or a truce” for Syria’s northern Aleppo province.
“We are waiting for a final agreement. We received an outline but we are expecting an agreement on paper that can be implemented,” Kalin told NTV television.
A cease-fire agreed in February with the backing of the U.S. and Russia collapsed after the Assad regime refused to fully abide by the agreement which called for stopping bombardment on civilians; lifting the sieges; allowing humanitarian access to the besieged areas; and releasing detainees. (Source: Syrian Coalition)
