(MENAFN- Qatar News Agency) Washington March 01 (QNA) - German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and US Secretary of State John Kerry said that a pause in the fighting in Syria that began Saturday is a hopeful sign.
The two diplomats spoke with reporters at the US State Department after their face-to-face meeting on Monday."It's obvious that the next few days are going to be critical in determining whether or not we are able to develop some real momentum towards a de-escalation of the conflict" Kerry said.
Steinmeier said that since the Munich security conference in mid-February the situation had "taken a visible step forward" the (dpa) reported."What's important now ... is that we make sure that the cessation of hostilities becomes more long-term in nature so as to allow us to begin the negotiations about a political solution to the conflict" he said.
Kerry and Steinmeier were cautiously optimistic about the cessation of hostilities holding despite reports of violations.Kerry said each violation would be investigated and the parties involved would also work on a "construct" to guarantee that attacks are indeed against terrorist groups that are not part of the ceasefire.
The two foreign ministers also spoke during their meeting about the conflict in eastern Ukraine. At the press briefing they appealed to the parties in the conflict to uphold the Minsk agreement with Kerry saying both sides need to perform."It's very important for Russia to live up to its obligations and to make sure the separatists do and it's also very important for the Kiev government to undertake its steps" he said. (QNA)