Russia and the United States are ready to announce a ceasefire in southwestern Syria, starting July 9, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said following talks between the Russian and US presidents on the sidelines of G20 summit in Hamburg on Friday.
"Experts from Russia, the United States and Jordan completed today the work in the capital of Jordan, Amman. They agreed on a memorandum on the establishment of a deescalation zone in southwestern Syria: in Daraa, Quneitra and As-Suwayda provinces, which will have a ceasefire in force from midday, Damascus time, on July 9," Lavrov told reporters.
Lavrov was speaking at a G20 summit in Hamburg where he sat in on talks between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, their first face-to-face meeting.
The agreement includes areas that have seen Israel retaliate for stray fire into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from recent clashes between Syrian forces and terrorists.
Negotiations in Astana this week failed to reach an agreement on the policing and precise borders of the zones, however.
Lavrov said the ceasefire set to begin Sunday would be supervised by Russian military police "in coordination with the Jordanians and Americans".
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson confirmed the agreement. Tillerson said it showed the United States and Russia were able to work together in Syria and that they would continue to do so.
"We had a very lengthy discussion regarding other areas in Syria that we can continue to work together on to de-escalate the areas and the violence, once we defeat ISIS," he said using an acronym for the Islamic State group.
Tillerson said they would also "work together towards a political process that will secure the future of the Syrian people".
