The U.S. and Russia have agreed to take steps to reduce violence in war-torn Syria, Secretary of State John Kerry announced on early Saturday.
In a joint press conference with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, Kerry said a truce would commence with the start of the Muslim holiday celebration of Eid al-Adha that begins Monday.
Kerry dubbed the deal a “turning point,” according to media reports, and he said that along with Russia, he hopes it “will reduce violence, ease suffering and resume movement towards a negotiated peace and a political transition in Syria”.
He also called on Syrians to support the deal that aims to “bring this catastrophic conflict to the quickest possible end through a political process”.
All attacks and airstrikes would be stopped and unobstructed access would be allowed to besieged areas, including Aleppo, Kerry said, adding that both sides agreed to pull back from Castello Road in Aleppo to create a demilitarized zone that would allow access to the city.
Daesh and al-Nusra are not included in the deal as both are listed as terror groups by the UN Security Council.
Lavrov said that the two countries agreed on five documents related to fighting terrorism and a truce in Syria.