U.S.-Russia Deal Best Chance to Keep Syria Whole, Kerry Says
- Limited cease-fire agreement set to take effect Feb. 27
- Islamic State steps up attacks in Homs and on road to Aleppo
A man stands on the debris of a collapsed building after airstrikes in Damascus, Syria, on Dec. 25, 2015.
Source: Anadolu Agency via Getty ImagesAn accord between the U.S. and Russia to scale back violence in Syria starting this weekend is the best opportunity to keep the country intact as a five-year-old civil war rages, Secretary of State John Kerry said.
Kerry, testifying Tuesday to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in Washington, said time is running out for Russia to support a transition process toward a government that doesn’t include Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. With the conflict having killed more than 260,000 people and displaced an additional 23 million, progress is needed in the next two or three months or “it may be too late to keep it as a whole Syria,” Kerry said.