Ammon News - The United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan De Mistura, Friday evening welcomed a new ceasefire understanding reached by senior officials from United States and Russia, to end hostilities and bloodshed in Syria.
A statement released by De Mistura said that the agreement between the US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, could make a major difference in ensuring cessation of hostilities, and in moving forward the political process, both considered necessary to ease humanitarian suffering and end the conflict in Syria.
The UN Special Envoy also welcomed the fact that the Russian Federation and the United States are prepared to work together to defeat Daesh and Al Nusra front.
"The UN hopes that the political will that led to this understanding is sustained. It creates a real window of opportunity which all relevant actors in the region and beyond should seize to put the crisis in Syria on a different path and ease the violence and suffering being endured by the Syrian people," said Mr. De Mistura.
De Mistura highlighted the demands of humanitarian partners, "under the humanitarian principles of impartiality, independence, and neutrality," adding that the UN, and its implementing humanitarian partners "are ready to be able to deliver for the people who have life-saving, life-supporting and protection needs and continue to suffer under the current circumstances." "The United Nations stands ready to deliver and to do whatever it can to support an early restoration of the cessation of hostilities," De Mistura told reporters. "It also expects that all parties will facilitate U.N. efforts to indeed deliver humanitarian assistance to the population in need." Under the agreement, a national cease-fire would begin in Syria at nightfall Monday, timing that coincides with the significant Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.