Turkey and Russia agree on proposal toward Syrian ceasefire, Anadolu says

[December 28, 2016]    ANKARA (Reuters) - Turkey and Russia have agreed on a proposal toward a general ceasefire in Syria, Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency said on Wednesday, and will aim to put it into effect by midnight.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan arrive for a joint news conference following their meeting in Istanbul, Turkey, October 10, 2016. REUTERS/Osman Orsal

Anadolu, citing sources, said the two countries have reached a consensus that will be presented to participants in the conflict on expanding the ceasefire that was established in Aleppo earlier this month.

A spokesman at Turkey's foreign ministry said he had no immediate comment on the report.

Russia, Iran and Turkey said last week they were ready to help broker a peace deal after holding talks in Moscow where they adopted a declaration setting out the principles any agreement should adhere to.

Arrangements for the talks, which would not include the United States and be distinct from separate intermittent U.N.-brokered negotiations, remain hazy, but Moscow has said they would take place in Kazakhstan, a close ally.

Russia's foreign minister on Tuesday said the Syrian government was consulting with the opposition ahead of possible peace talks, while a Saudi-backed opposition group said it knew nothing of the negotiations but supported a ceasefire.

(Reporting by Tuvan Gumrukcu and Humeyra Pamuk)

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