Assad calls Syria truce “glimmer of hope,” slams opposition

PanARMENIAN.Net - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad described the cessation of hostilities in force since Saturday, February 27 as a "glimmer of hope" and accused the opposition of violating the agreement intended to halt nearly five years of fighting, Reuters reports.

The opposition has in turn accused the Syrian government of breaching the fragile truce by repeatedly attacking its positions, which the government denies.

International observers have acknowledged violations of the agreement while stressing that the level of violence has decreased considerably.

"We will play our part to make the whole thing work," Assad was quoted as saying in an extract of an interview with Germany's ARD television network.

The president said the Syrian army had not reacted to truce violations in order to give the agreement a chance.

"The terrorists have breached the deal from the first day. We as the Syrian Army are refraining from responding in order to give a chance to sustain the agreement. But in the end there are limits and it all depends on the other side," Assad said.

He also said people in Syria were suffering from a "humanitarian disaster".

The war has killed at least 250,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes. The United Nations hopes the cessation of hostilities will allow it to deliver aid to more than 150,000 people in besieged areas of Syria.

The cessation of hostilities agreement, drawn up by the United States and Russia, is also seen by the United Nations as an opportunity to revive peace talks, which collapsed before they had even started a month ago in Geneva.