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| Syria government 'agrees to Eid al-Adha ceasefire' | Syria government 'agrees to Eid al-Adha ceasefire' |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The UN and Arab League envoy to Syria says the Syrian government has agreed to abide by a ceasefire during the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha. | The UN and Arab League envoy to Syria says the Syrian government has agreed to abide by a ceasefire during the Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha. |
| Lakhdar Brahimi said he had been given the news following a visit to Damascus. | Lakhdar Brahimi said he had been given the news following a visit to Damascus. |
| The Syrian opposition has told him that any ceasefire observed by government forces will be reciprocated. | The Syrian opposition has told him that any ceasefire observed by government forces will be reciprocated. |
| Mr Brahimi has said he wants a truce over Eid al-Adha, which starts on Friday and lasts four days, to "allow a political process to develop". | |
| Eid al-Adha, the Festival of the Sacrifice, is celebrated by Muslims to commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son Ishmael as proof of obedience to God. | Eid al-Adha, the Festival of the Sacrifice, is celebrated by Muslims to commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son Ishmael as proof of obedience to God. |
| Mr Brahimi revealed that Damascus had given its backing to his peace initiative after he held talks in Cairo on Wednesday morning with the Arab League's Secretary General, Nabil al-Arabi. | |
| "After the visit I made to Damascus, there is agreement from the Syrian government for a ceasefire during the Eid," he told a news conference. | |
| Mr Brahimi did not give a precise time period for the truce, but said the government would announce its agreement on Wednesday or Thursday. | |
| "Other factions in Syria that we were able to contact - heads of fighting groups - most of them also agree on the principle of the ceasefire." | |
| "If this modest agreement is successful we hope to build on it, so that we can talk a longer and more solid ceasefire. This ceasefire should be part of the political operation," the Algerian diplomat added. |