Secretary of State John Kerry claimed today that a “provisional” ceasefire deal had been reached with Russia on the ongoing civil war in Syria, but that the actual implementation could be a bit away, with the details still to be worked out between US and Russian officials.
A ceasefire deal was already supposed to be in place from earlier this month in Munich, though it never actually led to a halt in fighting, and if anything the prospect of a pause had everybody scrambling to launch last-minute offensives beforehand.
That these deals are constantly being brokered by international powers with only limited involvement in the war doesn’t bode well for them every really getting into place, and Kerry reiterated demands that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad resign.
The Free Syrian Army gave “preliminary approval” for the truce, but only on the condition that Iran, Russia, and all Shi’ite militias stop all fighting in the country. That’s definitely not going to happen, as the ceasefire isn’t meant to prevent offensives against ISIS or al-Qaeda’s Nusra Front.