Brussels, 24/02/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 23 February, the presidents of France and the USA, François Hollande and Barack Obama respectively, spoke on the telephone with British Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel about the ceasefire plans in Syria. The ceasefire is due to enter into force on Saturday 27 February.
“A ceasefire has been announced. It must be respected absolutely and the sooner the better”, Hollande said at the end of the telephone call, according to the French president's Elysée palace. The same press release states that the leaders wanted the agreement on the cessation of hostilities “to be able to enter into force as soon as possible”, and said that the leaders would be “very watchful” over respect of the commitments concluded by the international Syria Support Group in Munich on 12 February.
The British government added in a press release that the agreement will only be a success if there is a change of behaviour from the Syrian regime and its support. “Pressure must be exerted on the Syrian regime and its support, in other words Russia, so that the bombing stops and humanitarian aid can be channelled, especially to Aleppo”, Hollande added.
According to the British, the leaders also agreed that a political solution and transition away from Assad were “the only means of putting an end to the suffering of the Syrian people” and that a credible political transition process should start “as soon as possible”.
While the West insists that the only solution possible to the Syrian crisis is political, US Secretary of State John Kerry nevertheless mentioned a possible plan B on 23 February, should the ongoing political process fail. “There are important discussions at the moment about a plan B, should we not succeed around the negotiating table”, Kerry told the US Senate's foreign affairs committee. This plan B would put greater emphasis on the military option. “We will know in a month or two if this transition process is really serious. Assad will himself have to take real decisions on developing a process of transitional government (…) If this is not the case (…) plan B options are of course being examined”, he said, without giving further detail. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)