MOSCOW, March 3. /TASS/. The number of the agreements on cessation of hostilities signed by the parties to the Syrian conflict has reached 44, the Russian Center for the reconciliation of the warring parties in Syria said in a newsletter.
"The total number of signed agreements on cessation of hostilities has reached 44," the newsletter said. Thus, four more such documents have been signed over the past 24 hours.
"At the moment, talks are underway with the leaders of five armed groups in Damascus, Daraa and Homs provinces," the newsletter said.
The document also notes that 18 commanders of the moderate opposition units in Daraa province have declared their intention to stop fighting over the past 24 hours. As a result of this, the ceasefire has been extended to nine blocs of the city of the same name.
According to the center, the reconciliation agreements with the elders of Marzaf village (Hama province) have been signed with Russia’s mediation. More than 600 local residents, representatives of the Muslim clergy, Syrian and foreign journalists attended the ceremony, the newsletter said.
"Also, the leaders of the Jaysh al-Islam group which controls Ruheiba village (Damascus province) decided to join the cessation of hostilities process yesterday," it added.
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Ceasefire violations
Russia’s Defense Ministry has registered 14 cases of the shelling of residential districts and the Syrian government troops’ positions over the past twenty-four hours.
"Over the past 24 hours, 14 cases of shelling of residential districts and the Syrian government troops have been registered: three in Damascus, two in El-Kuneiro and two in Latakia and one in Hama and Deraa each," the bulletin said.
The largest number of shelling instances (five) was registered in Aleppo, according to the bulletin.
"Thus, terrorists shelled twice the positions of Kurdish self-defense militia fighters in the districts of Sheikh Maksud and Ashrafia [the city of Aleppo] from mortars," the bulletin said.
Also, unidentified armed formations conducted mortar fire against government troops in the area of the Philosophy School and the An-Nerab airfield, according to the Russian Defense Ministry’s data.
"In all the cases, the illegal armed formations acted from the territory within the bounds of the districts whose coordinates had been transferred to the Russian side by American partners on February 27, 2016," the bulletin said.
The Russian and Syrian Air Forces did not deliver strikes against armed formations that had supported the truce regime and reported their location data to the Russian or the US Reconciliation Center, Russia’s Defense Ministry said.
Reconciliation center in Syria holds relief aid deliver talks with 12 organizations
According to the statement, the staff of the Russian center for the reconciliation of warring parties in Syria has held talks with twelve international organizations regarding the delivery of relief aid.
"There have been telephone conversations with twelve international organizations operating in Syria," the ministry said.
"Over the past 24 hours the Russian center for the reconciliation of warring factions in Syria brought more than four tonnes of relief aid to the villages of Marzaf and Akebra, Hama province. Foods and bottled water were handed over to local civilians," the center said in a news release.
Also, the center’s specialists have had a meeting with officials from Syria’s Ministry of Reconciliation to discuss "common approaches to the delivery of humanitarian aid to the population in need," the Defense Ministry added.
Truce has been effective in Syria since February 27. It does not apply to the groups Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra (both outlawed in Russia), and also to other groups declared as terrorist by the UN Security Council.
The Russian Defense Ministry declared the establishment of the reconciliation center on February 23. It is headquartered at the Hmeimim air base, Latakia province. Earlier reports said a similar US center was created in Amman, Jordan.