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Russian diplomat says Moscow, US have no plan ‘B’ on Syria

At the same time, the diplomat pointed out that Russia and the US had an understanding on the separation of the Syrian opposition from the terrorist groups

MOSCOW, September 16. /TASS/. The US should adhere to the agreements on ceasefire in Syria reached with Russia because there is no plan ‘B’, the Russian President’s Envoy for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov told BBC.

"We don’t have any plan ‘B’. When we reach an agreement we say that’s it, this should be implemented. We have no plan ‘B’ or ‘C’. This is the only plan that is on the table and we call on everybody to implement what is written there," Bogdanov said when asked why the US should trust Russia in the settlement in Syria.

At the same time, he pointed out that Russia and the US had an understanding on the separation of the Syrian opposition from the terrorist groups. However, Russia is coming to "a point where it wouldn’t be able to wait anymore" because the US military and security services don’t seem to be in a hurry to separate the "moderate opposition" from Jabhat Fateh al-Sham (or the Front for the Conquest of the Levant, earlier known as Jabhat al-Nusra, outlawed in Russia).

Last weekend in Geneva, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the US Secretary of State John Kerry agreed on a five-document deal aiming at establishing a ceasefire in the ongoing five-year-old Syrian war, and providing ground for the restoration of a political process. These agreements envisage the separation of the Syrian opposition from terrorist groups, Russian-US joint airstrikes against terrorists, measures to respond to ceasefire violations and the delivery of humanitarian aid to millions in need.