The recently agreed upon cessation of hostilities in Syria went into force at midnight on Thursday, as declared by the Syrian army, China's Xinhua news agency reported.
The nationwide ceasefire was brokered by Russia and Turkey and agreed upon by Syria, and major opposition and rebel groups, while terror-designated organisations such as the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front and Daesh, were excluded.
While previous cease-fires have failed to hold in Syria, the new one is particularly distinct as it enjoys the approval of all concerned parties, mainly Turkey, which has a major influence on the rebel groups operating in Syria.
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said Thursday evening that the cease-fire constitutes a "real chance" to establish a political settlement in Syria.
The cease-fire comes after the Syrian army and its allied fighters retook the city of Aleppo in northern Syria, after dealing a big blow to the rebels, said al-Moallem.
He noted that the new cease-fire is distinct from the previous failing ones due to the "strong Russian guarantees," saying that Russia is a partner in fighting terrorism, and Russia has guaranteed that "every breach will be confronted."
The Syrian army said in a statement that the cease-fire paves the way for reactivating negotiations to end the conflict.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad promised Thursday to honour the newly-clinched ceasefire agreement in a phone conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, according to the Kremlin.
For his part, Putin said that Russia and Turkey will guarantee the truce, adding that the ceasefire will be followed by peace talks between the Syrian government and the opposition in Kazakhstan, without specifying a date.
The Turkey-backed Free Syrian Army and the Syrian National Coalition, a political coalition of Syrian opposition groups, have announced their acceptance to the ceasefire.
Osama Donora, a political analyst, told Xinhua that the ceasefire comes as a result of the victories of the Syrian army, particularly in Aleppo in northern Syria, as the entire city has fallen back under the government control since last week, when the rebels all withdrew toward the countryside of the city.
Another reason, Danura said, is the Russian-Iranian effort to push Ankara to reach common ground with the two countries.
"The new agreement means that Turkey is now onboard with Russia, and its pledge to guarantee the implementation of the ceasefire on the rebel side is a positive thing," said Danura. "This means that the main obstacle that was hindering the political settlement to Syria's crisis has been largely surmounted."
If the rebels shift toward pointing guns on and severing ties with terrorist groups, it will be a right prelude to the upcoming Syrian political talks, the expert said.
-- BERNAMA
Bernama
Fri Dec 30 2016
Syrian pro-government troops hold a position in Aleppo's eastern Karm al-Jabal neighborhood as they advance towards al-Shaar neighbourhood on December 5, 2016 during their offensive to retake Syria's second city. - AFP
Rebel: Tak adil kalau tak tengok, dengar komen orang dari luar saja - Awie
Awie memberitahu kisah perjuangan berkaitan kumpulan pertubuhan yang cuba diketengahkan itu sudah lama ada di dalam masyarakat, cuma tidak diketahui saja pergerakannya.
Nahas helikopter: Kementerian pertahanan, ATM aktifkan Tabung Tragedi Lumut 24
Kementerian Pertahanan dan Angkatan Tentera Malaysia menubuhkan tabung khas 'Tabung Tragedi Lumut 24' bagi orang ramai menghulurkan bantuan kewangan.
Blok Negara Islam Sedang ‘Stress’? Langsung Dialog 4 Menteri Luar – Arab Saudi, Turkiye, Jordan dan Mesir
Situasi meruncing di Gaza, konflik Iran-Israel dan ditambah pula persaingan kuat dua kuasa, Amerika Syarikat dan China dilihat terus membayangi percaturan geopolitik dan geoekonomi negara-negara Islam di Asia Barat. Menteri Luar Turkiye dan Arab Saudi antara yang tampil duduk sepentas
membincangkan apa lagi yang bakal jadi nanti.
#SpecialMeeting24
membincangkan apa lagi yang bakal jadi nanti.
#SpecialMeeting24
Tiada bukti kaitkan guru dengan kes pedofilia di MRSM Tumpat - Polis
Tiada bukti dapat dikaitkan dengan seorang guru berhubung dakwaan berlaku kes pedofilia di Maktab Rendah Sains Mara (MRSM) Tumpat.
Polis tahan pasangan kekasih, rampas pistol dan dadah bernilai RM4.73 juta
Polis menahan sepasang kekasih dipercayai terlibat kegiatan pengedaran dadah di sekitar Lembah Klang dan merampas pelbagai jenis dadah bernilai RM4.73 juta dalam serbuan di sebuah kondominium di Pucho
Suami kongsi gambar nikah, netizen beri kata-kata semangat buat Irma Hasmie
Perkongsian Redza menimbulkan respons yang pelbagai dalam kalangan netizen. Beberapa peminat turut dilihat memberikan kata-kata semangat kepada Irma.
Kotak hitam helikopter mendarat cemas di Pulau Angsa dihantar ke Itali
Kotak hitam helikopter AW139 milik Maritim Malaysia yang melakukan pendaratan cemas di sekitar perairan Pulau Angsa, Kuala Selangor telah dihantar ke Itali.
Leftenan Muda Min Youn satu-satunya penuntut bangsa Cina tamat latihan Komando
Leftenan Muda Chan Ming Youn dari Batalion Kedua Rejimen Renjer Diraja menjadi satu-satunya penuntut berbangsa cina yang berjaya menamatkan Kursus Asas Komando Gerup Gerak Khas (GGK) baru-baru ini.
Kawalan sempadan dipertingkat di sempadan Malaysia-Thailand
Polis Kelantan memantau perkembangan kejadian letupan dan insiden tembak menembak di Sungai Golok awal pagi Isnin dengan meningkatkan kawalan keselamatan di sempadan negara.
Pelancongan China dijangka meningkat
Sektor pelancongan China dijangka menyaksikan lonjakan berikutan perkembangan pasaran yang dibawa oleh Festival Qingming awal bulan ini.
Korea Selatan sambut ulang tahun ke-10 BTS
Budaya pop Korea Selatan merentasi populasi global menerusi muzik yang diperjuangkan BTS.
Hadiah buat ARMY, Jin BTS tampil dengan single 'The Astronaut'
Anggota kumpulan BTS, Jin bakal tampil dengan single pertama tidak lama lagi.
Video pemimpin politik India tonton persembahan BTS curi tumpuan
Ciapan Rahul Gandhi selepas melawat pelajar di salah sebuah sekolah di Kerala menarik perhatian ramai.
Berita antarabangsa pilihan sepanjang hari ini
Antara pelbagai berita luar negara yang disiarkan di Astro AWANI, berikut adalah antara yang paling menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari ini.
BTS raih dua anugerah di AMA 2020
Biarpun tidak dapat menghadiri majlis anugerah itu, mereka mempersembahkan dua lagu iaitu 'Dynamite' dan lagu baharu 'Life Goes On' dari Stadium Seoul.
MTV EMA 2020: Syabas ARMY! BTS menang anugerah 'Biggest Fans'
Selain anugerah tersebut, BTS juga mendominasi tiga kategori lain termasuk anugerah utama Lagu Terbaik menerusi lagu hit terbaharu mereka Dynamite.
BTS enggan kongsi pentas lagi, mahu buat persembahan solo di Grammy
Penyanyi rap, Suga, dalam satu sidang media dalam talian pada Rabu berkata biarpun pernah mengadakan persembahan di pentas Grammy sebelum ini, mereka menyimpan hasrat untuk membuat persembahan solo.
ARMY, persiapkan diri anda! BTS bakal lancar album baharu tahun ini
Kumpulan yang popular dengan lagu "Fake Love" itu akan mengeluarkan single baharu secara digital pada 21 Ogos ini.
BTS pecah rekod jualan album tertinggi pada hari pertama
Jumlah tersebut cukup untuk mencatatkan rekod baharu bagi jualan tertinggi dalam satu hari serta jualan tertinggi dalam seminggu bagi sebuah album.
Bazzi, BTS bakal jalinkan kolaborasi?
Bazzi meluahkan minatnya untuk berkolaborasi dengan kumpulan K-Pop terkemuka tersebut dalam temu bual eksklusif dalam segmen AWANI Xtra.