A Syrian government source said consultations were ongoingto break obstacles made by Turkey, which he said was trying to introduce elements beyond the Astana framework. It was also unclear whether Russia would be able to put pressure on Iran to force its militias on the front lines toabide by the terms of any ceasefire mechanism in areas on the outskirts of Damascus, where heavy fighting is ongoing. In a rare reprimand, the source said that some Syrian government commanders had been “strongly reminded” of the necessity to abide by the ceasefire. U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, attendingthe Astana talks, said it was crucial to get a mechanism tooversee and implement a nationwide ceasefire. (Additional reporting by Kinda Makieh, Denis Dyomtkin andOlzhas Auyezo; writing by John Irish; Editing by Dominic Evans)

Source: The Hindu January 24, 2017 08:03 UTC