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| John Kerry meets Saudi foreign minister in Syria ceasefire talks | John Kerry meets Saudi foreign minister in Syria ceasefire talks |
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| The US secretary of state, John Kerry, has opened a second day of talks in Geneva aimed at finding a way to restore at least a partial truce in Syria amid continuing attacks in Aleppo. | The US secretary of state, John Kerry, has opened a second day of talks in Geneva aimed at finding a way to restore at least a partial truce in Syria amid continuing attacks in Aleppo. |
| Kerry met Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, and planned to meet the UN envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, later on Monday. Kerry said progress was being made towards an understanding on how to reduce the violence in Aleppo but that more work was needed. | |
| Related: ‘We’ve had massacres all week’: Aleppo on fire again as Assad consigns ceasefire to history | Related: ‘We’ve had massacres all week’: Aleppo on fire again as Assad consigns ceasefire to history |
| Jubeir called the situation in Aleppo an “outrage” and a criminal violation of humanitarian law. He said that the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, would be held accountable for the attacks and would be removed from power either through a political process or by force. | Jubeir called the situation in Aleppo an “outrage” and a criminal violation of humanitarian law. He said that the Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, would be held accountable for the attacks and would be removed from power either through a political process or by force. |
| “There is only one side that is flying airplanes, and that is Bashar al-Assad and his allies, so they are responsible for the massacre of women, children, and the elderly,” he said. | “There is only one side that is flying airplanes, and that is Bashar al-Assad and his allies, so they are responsible for the massacre of women, children, and the elderly,” he said. |
| “They are responsible for the murder of doctors and medical personnel, and this situation, any way you slice it, will not stand. The world is not going to allow them to get away with this.” | “They are responsible for the murder of doctors and medical personnel, and this situation, any way you slice it, will not stand. The world is not going to allow them to get away with this.” |
| Kerry’s meetings in Geneva come a day after the Syrian military extended a ceasefire around the capital for another 24 hours and relative calm set in across much of the country apart from Aleppo, the country’s largest city and a key battleground in the civil war. Aleppo is not covered by the ceasefire but saw less fighting. More than 250 people have died in shelling and airstrikes in the northern city over the last nine days, according to the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. | |
| The government declared its own ceasefire around Damascus and the coastal Latakia region on Friday following two weeks of escalating unrest. But more than three dozen rebel factions said on Saturday they would not respect the truce unless the government agreed to extend it over the whole country. | |
| Related: The Observer view on Barack Obama’s role in bringing peace to Syria | Observer editorial | Related: The Observer view on Barack Obama’s role in bringing peace to Syria | Observer editorial |
| For Aleppo, the US is considering drawing up with the Russians a detailed map that would lay out “safe zones”. Civilians and members of moderate opposition groups covered by the truce could find shelter from persistent attacks by Assad’s military, which claims to be targeting terrorists. One US official said “hard lines” would delineate specific areas and neighbourhoods. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity. | |
| It was not immediately clear whether Russia would accept such a plan or if Moscow could persuade the Assad government to respect the prospective zones. Some US officials are sceptical of the chances for success, but also note that it is worth a try to at least reduce the violence. | It was not immediately clear whether Russia would accept such a plan or if Moscow could persuade the Assad government to respect the prospective zones. Some US officials are sceptical of the chances for success, but also note that it is worth a try to at least reduce the violence. |