U.N. considers resolution to back Syria ceasefire

U.N. Security Council diplomats are discussing a draft resolution that would endorse the deal on cessation of hostilities in Syria, diplomats said Wednesday.

Russia and the United States, which negotiated the ceasefire deal, are working on a text that could be adopted on Friday, a council diplomat said.

“I think there will be a resolution that we will agree then to welcome the cessation of hostilities negotiated by the U.S. and Russia,” he said.

U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura will report to the council on Friday, a few hours before the ceasefire is due to go into effect.

Russia and the United States have set a deadline of midnight Damascus time (2200 GMT) Friday for “the cessation of hostilities” between President Bashar al-Assad’s regime and rebel forces.

The deal excludes ISIS and the Al-Qaeda-linked Al-Nusra Front, which control large swaths of territory in Syria.

If the ceasefire takes holds, De Mistura hopes to convene a new round of peace talks next week, possibly around March 4, said a council diplomat.

The truce will also help U.N. agencies scale up deliveries of humanitarian aid to hard-to-reach areas across Syria’s many frontlines.