DAMASCUS (Dispatches) – A ceasefire recently brokered by Russia, the U.S. and Jordan has taken effect in southwestern Syria in a bid to curb violence in the Arab country.
The truce came into force at noon Damascus time (0900 GMT) on Sunday.
The trilateral agreement on the cessation of hostilities was announced on Friday after a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart, Donald Trump, on the sidelines of the G20 summit in the German city of Hamburg.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who was also present at the meeting, said Moscow, Washington and Amman had issued a joint memorandum on establishing a de-escalation zone in the Syrian provinces of Dara’a, Quneitra and Suwayda.
The accord includes "securing humanitarian access and setting up contacts between the opposition in the region and a monitoring center that is being established in Jordan's capital," he added.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson also confirmed that the area covered by the ceasefire affects Jordan’s security and is a "very complicated part of the Syrian battlefield.”

‘Important Step’ in Fighting Terrorism

The ceasefire deal is an "important step” in fighting terrorism, says U.S. National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster.
"The United States remains committed to defeating ISIS (Daesh), helping to end the conflict in Syria, reducing suffering, and enabling people to return to their homes. This agreement is an important step toward these common goals," McMaster said in a statement before the ceasefire was set to take effect at noon Damascus time.
Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his optimism about the prospects of a solution to the years-long crisis in Syria, saying what is of utmost importance is the Arab country’s "territorial integrity”, which is to be ensured.
The Russian leader made the remarks during a press conference on the sidelines of the 12th summit of the Group of Twenty (G20), the world's biggest economies, held in Germany’s northern city of Hamburg on Saturday, the second and final day of the conference.
"It's laborious, but extremely important work to ensure Syria's territorial integrity,” Putin said, adding, however, that with due respect to U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, he is not a Syrian citizen to talk about the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
"Mr. Tillerson is a much respected person. We love and respect him. But he’s not a Syrian citizen, after all, and the future of Syria and the political future of President Assad should only be determined by the Syrian people”, Putin said, in a reference to Tillerson’s remark about Assad having "no role” in Syria.
The Russian president’s comments came as the Kurdish fighters belonging to the U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) are currently engaged in a fierce battle against Daesh terrorists in Raqqah, the terror group’s de facto capital in the Arab country, in a bid to dislodge them from the embattled city, which was overrun by terrorists in March 2013.