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Syrian regime signs truce deal with rebels guaranteed by Russia, says President Putin Syrian regime signs truce deal with rebels guaranteed by Russia, says President Putin
(35 minutes later)
The Syrian regime has signed a truce deal with rebels, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced the signing of a truce deal between the Syrian regime and the opposition.
Turkey and Russia, the governments acting as guarantors in the peace process, already said they were working on a ceasefire deal to be implemented before the New Year. The Kremlin leader said the ceasefire agreement, to begin from midnight and guaranteed by Russia and Turkey's governments, will be followed by peace talks between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the seven major armed opposition groups.
If true, and if the truce deal is respected, it could end a six-year civil war that has killed potentially more than 430,000 and forced around 11 million from their homes. The negotiations however exclude terrorist groups and Mr Putin said he will continue "fighting international terrorism in Syria" and supporting Mr Assad's military.
News agency Agence France-Presse also reports that the Syrian army will halt all military operations from midnight. The Syrian state news agency SANA has also followed with confirmation, and a statement said the military command "declares a comprehensive nationwide cessation of hostilities as of midnight."
It said the ceasefire comes after the "sucessess achieved by the armed forces" in a thinly veiled reference to the capure and evacuation of besieged Aleppo earlier this month.
An opposition spokesman also said: "The National Coalition expresses support for the agreement and urges all parties to abide by it."
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu says the truce will include 62,000 rebel fighters across the country.
The Russian military has reportedly set up a hotline with its Turkish counterpart to monitor compliance.
Mr Putin's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also said that President-elect Donald Trump's administration will be invited to the Syrian peace process once he takes office.
Formal talks will take place in the Kazakhstan capital of Astana in what are a "complementary step" to the United Nations-backed negotiations in Geneva.
If the truce deal is respected, it could end a six-year civil war that has killed potentially more than 430,000 and forced around 11 million from their homes.
The Syrian military has also confirmed it will down its weapons as part of the nationwide ceasefire from midnight.
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