Syrian official pessimistic on ceasefire chances

A Syrian official says a temporary truce will not stop the government and its allies from striking “other terrorist groups” besides the Islamic State, expressing scant hope it will succeed.

Omar Osso, a member of parliament who was on the Syrian negotiating team in Geneva earlier this month, says a truce might be “relatively successful” in some areas, but said the government has the right to continue to combat terrorism.

He tells The Associated Press in Damascus that he was “not optimistic that clashes will stop because we are dealing with criminals who have hundreds of state sponsors” and various loyalties.

Syrian officials routinely refer to all rebel groups as “terrorists.”

At the same time, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomes the ceasefire agreement for Syria as a “long-awaited signal of hope” and urges all sides to abide by it.

— with AP and AFP