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The ceasefire in Syria has been extended by another 48 hours, the US State Department has said. The decision, made by US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, comes two days after the start of the truce. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said: There was agreement that as a whole, despite sporadic reports of violence, the arrangement is holding, and violence is significantly lower.
As part of the conversation they agreed to extend the cessation for another 48 hours.
Earlier this week, Mr Kerry said that the ceasefire could be the last chance to work towards peace in Syria1. The extension of the truce gives humanitarian agencies more time to access war-torn cities across Syria. However the UN has said that continuing rows over security caused two aid convoys to get stuck in no-man s land2.
The convoys, which were bound for Aleppo, each comprised of around 20 trucks containing mostly food and flour. UK humanitarian aid spokesman David Swanson said things are taking longer than we d hoped and described how warring sides were blocking aid reaching opposition-held eastern Aleppo. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said he was in talks with Russia and the US to guarantee the security of aid convoys.
He said: It s crucially important (that) the necessary security arrangements should be given so that they can be allowed to cross the lines.
I have been urging the Russian government to make sure that they exercise influence on the Syrian government, and also the American side to make sure that Syrian armed groups, they also fully cooperate.
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