GENEVA — A U.S.-Russia-brokered cease-fire in Syria, now in its sixth day, is largely holding despite sporadic clashes in some areas, a U.N. envoy said Thursday, raising expectations ahead of next week’s planned resumption of Geneva peace talks.
Staffan de Mistura spoke as he convened a group monitoring the truce amid hopes of a breakthrough that could pave the way for regular humanitarian aid deliveries to remote and besieged areas that have been cut off by the fighting.
It was the third meeting of the task force of the International Syria Support Group, made up of world and regional powers under U.S. and Russian leadership, which is monitoring the “cessation of hostilities” that began on Saturday.
De Mistura said the cease-fire has “greatly reduced” violence in Syria and laid out hopes of resuming peace talks between Syrian sides in the conflict. The talks were called off last month after a spike in fighting.
“In general, the cessation has been holding,” he said, speaking alongside his humanitarian aid adviser Jan Egeland. “Unfortunately, we have to admit ... there are still a number of places where fighting has continued,” though it has been contained.
The situation is “fragile, success is not guaranteed, but progress has been visible,” the envoy concluded.
The cease-fire has become the most promising initiative in years to help end a five-war that has killed at least 250,000 people, driven millions of Syrians to flee the country, and given an opening to militants such as the extremist Islamic State group and the Nusra Front, as Syria’s al-Qaida branch is known, to seize large swaths of land.
The two militant factions and other extremist groups designated terrorist organizations by the United Nations are not included in the diplomatic initiatives.
