The State Department indicated Tuesday the U.S. was still plugging away with Russia to enforce a permanent ceasefire in Syria, in the face of reports that Syria has so far ignored the U.S.-Russia demand that the fighting stop.
The U.S. and Russia released a statement Monday that said both major powers agree to a permanent cessation of violence in the country, and said they “demand” that the violence end.
“We demand that parties cease any indiscriminate attacks on civilians, including civilian infrastructure and medical facilities,” they said. The statement also said Russia would “work with the Syrian authorities to minimize aviation operations over areas that are predominantly inhabited by civilians or parties to the cessation.”
But State was faced with questions on Tuesday about whether the U.S.-Russia understanding has any teeth, as the Syrian government is only declaring 48-hour ceasefire periods instead of a permanent ceasefire. Violence has still been reported in the country.
In reply, State seemed to indicate that the U.S.-Russia agreement is aspirational, and that the two countries would continue to work with Syria to ensure it is implemented.
“We stand behind our statement yesterday cosigned by the Russians, co-released by the Russians, which is an open-ended reaffirmation of the cessation of hostilities,” said spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau.
She also said the shorter-duration ceasefires are acceptable for now as steps that might help create a lasting peace.
“Some of these small, sort of area-limited, time-limited cessation of hostilities continue to be confidence building measures,” she said. “Our reaffirmation is that the cessation of hostilities is open-ended, it’s national.”
Trudeau admitted there is still violence on the ground in Syria, but again reiterated the broader goal of a permanent truce. When asked whether she thought the two-day extensions of the ceasefire contradict the U.S.-Russia statement calling for a long-lasting ceasefire, she said, “No, I don’t.”
