Under the memorandum they signed as guarantors of a cease-fire, fighting between government forces and insurgents is to stop in four zones that include rebel-held territory in the north, central and southern parts of the country. There was no immediate comment from the United States, which sent an emissary to the Astana talks after a telephone conversation on Tuesday between President Trump and President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, who vowed to renew efforts to collaborate on ending the Syria conflict. Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Sign Up Receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. He also said the Syrian government would abide by the agreement, unless rebel groups carried out attacks in the zones — ambiguous language that critics called a loophole that allows violations committed by Mr. Assad’s side.

Source: New York Times May 04, 2017 17:24 UTC