Russia, US submit Syrian truce draft resolution to UNSC

UNITED NATIONS—Russia and the United States have submitted to the UN Security Council a draft resolution in support of the Syrian ceasefire regime that is to take effect February 27, Security Council President Rafael Ramirez of Venezuela told reporters on Thursday.

According to Ramirez, the UN Security Council members need time to study the document, but they hope to adopt it as soon as possible.

On Monday night, Russia and the United States released a joint statement saying that the ceasefire will take effect in Syria at 00:00 Damascus Time on February 27.

“The United States of America and the Russian Federation, as co-chairs of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) and seeking to achieve a peaceful settlement of the Syrian crisis with full respect for the fundamental role of the United Nations, are fully determined to provide their strongest support to end the Syrian conflict and establish conditions for a successful Syrian-led political transition process, facilitated by the UN,” the joint statement of the United States and Russia said.

The statement points out that the cessation of hostilities is to be applied to all parties to the Syrian conflict but for Daesh (the Arabic acronym for Islamic State) and Jabhat an-Nusra (both are banned in Russia) “or other terrorist organizations designated by the UN Security Council.”

Russia’s aviation grouping has been delivering air strikes against the Islamic State terrorist organization in Syria since September 30 at the request of Syria’s President Bashar Assad. Since 2014, the US-led coalition has also been delivering air strikes against militants in Syria and Iraq.

A diplomat of a UN Security Council member state told TASS that the resolution could be adopted at the Council’s meeting at 23:00, Moscow time, Friday. During the closed-door part of the meeting UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura will address the Un Security Council members with a report on efforts aimed at the conflict settlement. De Mistura will describes the entire political process. The United States, Russia and the conflict sides have agreed to cease fire. Negotiations are to be resumed after that. De Mistura is engaged in this matter and we support him, Ramirez said.