Will the Russia-US ceasefire agreement bring peace to Syria?

Under the agreement, fighting will end on February 27 but anti-terror activities and air strikes by Syria, Russia, and the US-led coalition against IS, the al-Nusra Front, and other UN-defined terrorist groups will continue. 

Moscow and Washington will establish a hotline to share information. Parties involved in the conflict in Syria must accept or reject the agreement by February 26 at the latest.

Opportunities for peace in Syria missed

The agreement was announced a day after jihadists carried out a series of bombings near Damascus, killing 134 people, mainly civilians. Over the last 5 years, bombings have occurred almost daily in Syria.

Previous efforts to effect a ceasefire in Syria have failed. Most recent was an agreement by 17 members of the International Syria Support Group, including the US and Russia, but rebel groups in Syria rejected this agreement. 

Western-backed anti-government forces opposed Russian air strikes against IS and other groups demanded President Bashar al-Assad’s resignation.

President Assad says he supports peace talks and a political solution to the conflict but on the other hand he has pledged to restore Syria’s territorial integrity. 

Opposition to Russian air strikes and President Assad’s authority remain so effecting permanent peace in Syria is doubtful despite the ceasefire.

There has been no immediate reaction from the Syrian government about the ceasefire except President Assad’s announcement of a parliamentary election scheduled for April 13. 

Opposition parties say they will give a positive response to the ceasefire. The US and Russia have been conducting shuttle diplomacy to create a viable ceasefire agreement in Syria. 

Russia will discuss the agreement with the Syrian government and Iran and the US with the Syrian opposition and members of the UN-backed Action Group for Syria to iron out final details of the agreement before February 27. 

Although the US is optimistic that this ceasefire will be honored, it insists that there won’t be any permanent end to the civil war if President Assad remains in power. 

Another problem for the ceasefire, according to analysts, is how the US and Russia agree on which groups should be considered terrorists. 

US officials say 70% of Russian air strikes target moderate rebel groups, some of which are backed by the US. Russia denies the accusation and says its air strikes target only terrorists.