UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon welcomes the Syrian authority and factions’ agreement to cease fire for the duration of the Id al-Adha Moslem holiday starting on Friday.

Syrian troops

UN representative Martin Nesirki said on Friday that it was paramount for both conflicting sides to declare a truce to give humanitarian convoys a chance to reach areas sealed off by hostilities between the government forces and the opposition.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Ministry's official spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement on Thursday that Russia has welcomed the Syrian government's consent to observe a ceasefire under the proposal of UN and the Arab League special envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. He said the fact that Damascus confirmed its readiness to work towards stopping the bloodshed, paving the way for a political solution to the internal Syrian crisis through a comprehensive dialogue, is of paramount significance.

The US also welcomes the ceasefire and calls on all sides to respect it. The spokesperson for the American Secretary of State said the ceasefire is expected to pave the way for efforts to seek a political transfer in Syria.