Obama: “World will be watching” planned halt to Syrian fighting

President Obama on Thursday warned Russia and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad against violating a hostility cessation agreement set to take effect this weekend.

“All parties that are part of this cessation of activities need to end attacks,” Obama said following a meeting of his national security team at the State Department. 

{mosads}“That is going to depend on whether the Syrian regime, Russia and their allies live up to their commitments,” he added. “The coming days will be critical and the world will be watching.”

Obama’s comments underscore concerns within the administration about Russia’s willingness to adhere to the agreement scheduled to begin Saturday.

Under the agreement, Russian and Syrian government forces would stop attacks against opposition groups fighting Assad.

The pact is designed to pause Syria’s five-year civil war and ensure that humanitarian aid is delivered to millions of displaced civilians. 

A previous ceasefire agreement broke down earlier this month when Russian forces continued to bomb rebel-held strongholds in northern Syria.

Pentagon and CIA leaders are concerned the Russians will repeat their actions and are pushing for alternative ways to counter their influence in Syria, including increasing military assistance to rebel forces there, according to the Wall Street Journal. 

Obama said, however, it is his obligation to give a fair chance to a diplomatic effort to end the violence. If successful, he said the agreement could pave the way for broader peace talks that could result in Assad stepping aside. 

But he added, “None of us are under any illusions. We are all aware of the many potential pitfalls.”