UN chief Ban Ki-moon says a fragile Syria ceasefire is holding “by and large” despite “incidents” of fighting at the weekend, as a UN-backed taskforce was set to meet to evaluate various accusations of breaches.
“As of now I can tell you that by and large the cessation of hostilities is holding even though we have experienced some incidents,” Ban tells reporters in Geneva.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at a press briefing on the sidelines of the main annual session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva on February 29, 2016. (AFP / FABRICE COFFRINI)
The taskforce monitoring the truce is “now trying to make sure that this does not spread any further and that this cessation of hostilities can continue.”
That taskforce is scheduled to meet at 4:00 p.m Israel time, the top UN envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, tells AFP.
The tenuous truce, negotiated by Washington and Moscow and backed by the UN, is in its third day despite reports of violations on both sides.
— AFP
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From the Liveblog of
Monday, February 29, 2016
