Syria: US 'increasing Concern' That UN Aid Blocked

WASHINGTON, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News -16th Sept,2016) : The United States said Thursday that a ceasefire in Syria is more or less holding, despite breaches by both sides, but expressed concern that UN aid convoys remain blocked.

State Department spokesman Mark Toner also defended the secrecy surrounding the US-Russia truce agreement, after France complained it was being kept in the dark. Last week, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov agreed to pressure Syria's warring parties to stop fighting and allow in aid.

Russia was to convince Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad to accept the deal, while America was responsible for dealing with a coalition of opposition rebel groups. Once Washington and Moscow agree that a ceasefire has held for seven consecutive days, they are to open a joint cell to coordinate US-Russian strikes on jihadist groups.

The truce came into effect at nightfall on Monday, but Toner refused to be drawn on how many days of true ceasefire have elapsed or when the cooperation would begin. "Certainly we're not there yet," he said.

"Clearly the goal here is to reach 100 percent reduction in violence. We're not there and we're not claiming to be there.

" Toner said there had been breaches of the ceasefire by both sides in the conflict and, more worryingly, Assad's forces have not allowed UN aid convoys through.

"So, we haven't seen the humanitarian access. That's a piece of this as well. So, I'm not going to say we're at day two or at day three on this." Toner said Kerry and Lavrov had not spoken yet on Thursday "but it continues to be our assessment that this is worth pursuing.

It's worth continuing." Washington has not released the full text of its agreement with Russia to the frustration of observers and now allies like France, which has complained about the secrecy.

Toner insisted that US allies would be briefed in detail on the deal during meetings on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York next week. But he said that the text of the bilateral agreement deals with "sensitive issues" and could be "misused or misinterpreted" by "would-be spoilers." "Also it could put some of these opposition groups, moderate opposition groups at risk," Toner said.

The spokesman did not elaborate, but reports suggest the agreement describes the location of US-backed rebel groups and could expose them to attack from rival factions.