Obama, European leaders urge Syria parties to respect truce

President Barack Obama and the leaders of Germany, Italy, Britain and France on Monday called on parties in the Syrian war to respect an agreement to cease hostilities and make peace talks work, the White House said in a statement.

“They called on all parties to respect the cessation, ensure humanitarian access, and contribute to the success of the Geneva talks on political transition,” the White House said after the meeting of the leaders in Hanover, Germany.

“They also called on those with influence on the parties to the conflict to press them to refrain from any actions that put the cessation and political talks at risk,” it said.

The leaders also agreed on the “strong and urgent need” to help Libya grow its economy and build up the capacity of its security sector to counter the threat posed by ISIS, the statement said.