WASHINGTON, July 7 (Reuters) - The United States, Russia and regional countries have reached a ceasefire deal in southwestern Syria, one of the combat zones in a six-year-old civil war, a U.S. official said on Friday. Russia and Iran are the main international backers of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad while Washington supports some of the rebel groups fighting for his ouster. Tillerson has said the United States was prepared to discuss joint efforts with Russia to stabilizeSyria, including no-fly zones, ceasefire observers and coordinated deliveries of humanitarian assistance. Tillerson was present at a meeting in Hamburg between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, along with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. The United States and Russia held secret talks on creating a “de-escalation zone” in southernSyria, Western diplomats and regional officials said in early June.

Source: Huffington Post July 07, 2017 16:35 UTC