US, Russia trade accusations on Syria truce

Putin said Saturday he hoped the United States would stick to its commitment on Syria, as securing peace in the war-torn country was the common goal for both Moscow and Washington.

But the Syrian ceasefire looks increasingly shaky as "limited shelling and clashes have resumed on several fronts in Syria," according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.

A 48-hour ceasefire came into force on Monday evening, and was extended for another two days on Wednesday. The US and Russia agreed Friday to further extend it.

But a lack of trust between the US and Russia was evident as a hastily called UN Security Council meeting was canceled at the last minute, with Moscow saying the US was unwilling to disclose the truce details.

"Our partners (the US) are calling for openness and transparency … but they are deviating from this postulate," Russian President Putin told reporters on Saturday.

"This is because of the difficulties they (the Americans) are facing … that they still can't separate the healthy part of the Syrian opposition from the semi-criminal … But we are more positive than negative and expect that promises given (by the Americans) … will be fulfilled," he added.

Truce unlikely to hold?

A senior rebel official in Aleppo warned Saturday that the ceasefire is likely to fail, pointing to a UN aid convoy at the Turkish border awaiting permission from the Syrian government to enter the war-ravaged city.

"The truce, as we have warned, and we the told the (US) State Department – will not hold out," the rebel leader told the Reuters news agency on condition of anonymity.

"It is not possible for the party (Russia) that wages war against a people to strive to achieve a truce, as it is also not possible for it to be a sponsor of this agreement while it bombs night and day, while on the other side, the party - the US - has the role of spectator," he said.

Moscow denies breaking the ceasefire and has called on Washington to use its influence over rebels to make them abide by the terms of the truce.

Ceasefire violations

The ceasefire has been marred by violations throughout the week, however, including a lack of humanitarian aid deliveries and sporadic violence, which resulted on Friday in the deaths of three civilians, including two children.

In a meeting with US security aides, US President Barack Obama expressed his concern that despite the truce, the Syrian government continues to block the flow of humanitarian aid.

A statement from the White House said Obama "emphasized that the United States will not proceed with the next steps in the arrangement with Russia until we see seven continuous days of reduced violence and sustained humanitarian access."

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry spoke to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the phone Saturday, insisting that Moscow must persuade the Syrian government to allow humanitarian aid into Aleppo and other war-battered areas.

Kerry "emphasized that the United States expects Russia to use its influence on the Assad regime to allow UN humanitarian convoys to reach Aleppo and other areas in need," State Department spokesman John Kirby said. "The secretary made clear that the United States will not establish the Joint Implementation Center with Russia unless and until the agreed terms for humanitarian access are met."

shs/rc (AFP, Reuters, AP)