Officials outline new details of Syria cease-fire deal
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WASHINGTON- The new Syria cease-fire is rich in detail on the mechanics of ending violence in Aleppo. It says little about how the United States and Russia will establish a new military partnership that is seen as key to the long-term sustainability of the deal.
Officials familiar with the document outline a highly technical series of requirements for both Syrian President Bashar Assad's government and opposition forces. These include precise calculations, in meters, on how the sides would pull back from a key artery into Aleppo and where they would have to redeploy weaponry.
The agreement was reached last Friday after a marathon day of negotiations between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Underscoring the complexity of the new arrangement, even Kerry stumbled over some of the particulars while speaking shortly after the cease-fire came into effect Monday.
