Syrian President Bashar Assad vowed on Monday that his government would take back land from “terrorists” and rebuild the country in remarks made just hours before the start of a cease-fire brokered by the United States and Russia.
Assad spoke during a rare public appearance that included attending prayers for Eid Al-Adha in the Damascus suburb of Daraya, which had surrendered last month and reverted to government control after a four-year siege.
But in the build-up to the start of the truce at sunset, government forces and their allies bombed opposition areas in the country’s north, while Al-Qaeda-linked militants pushed on with an offensive in southern Syria.
In Geneva, the UN envoy for Syria said his office would monitor the start of the cease-fire “carefully, before making any hurried comments.” Staffan de Mistura said in a text message to The Associated Press on Monday that no statement from his office about the truce was expected before the following afternoon.
The cease-fire deal, hammered out between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva on Saturday, was backed by Assad’s government. But it has received mixed messages of commitment from various rebel factions.
In Turkey, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his earlier calls for establishing a no-fly zone in northern Syria, saying it is essential to boosting security in the area.
Erdogan said he told the leaders of Germany, France, Russia and the US that training and equipping troops on the ground to battle back Daesh group forces is “not enough” and that a no-fly zone should be the next step.
Speaking after holiday prayers on Monday, Erdogan said Turkey remains resolute in eliminating the threat posed by the Daesh group at its borders and has made that clear to world leaders.

Source: Arab News