Syrian rebels have "major concerns" about truce deal
A spokesman for a Saudi-backed alliance of Syrian opposition and rebel factions says the group has "major concerns" that Russia and the Syrian government will continue to strike at mainstream rebels under the pretext of hitting "terrorist groups" during the truce that is to go into effect later this week.
Salem Al Meslet says the alliance known as the High Negotiations Committee is holding open meetings in the Saudi capital of Riyadh and is seeking guarantees and clarifications from the United States about the mechanism for the implementation of the agreement.
He says however that the opposition wants to stop the bloodshed and would abide by the truce. Al Meslet spoke Wednesday in a phone interview with The Associated Press.
The agreement, engineered by the U.S. and Russia, is set to take effect at midnight Friday local time.
Syria's state-run news agency said, meanwhile, that Syrian President Bashar Assad had received a phone call from Russian leader Vladimir Putin.
SANA said that during the call with Putin on Wednesday, the Syrian president confirmed Damascus' readiness to support the implementation of the agreement for a "cessation of hostilities" in Syria.
The cease-fire deal does not cover the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), al Qaeda's local branch known as the Nusra Front, or any other militia designated as a terrorist group by the U.N. Security Council.
SANA said the two leaders stressed the importance of continuing to fight ISIS, al Nusra, "and other terrorist organizations."
That, explains CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer, essentially gives the Syrian forces free reign to continue attacking anyone they want -- including groups backed by the U.S.
Palmer said the loopholes in the truce deal are significant. In addition to the Syrian regime's ambiguous vow to continue fighting "terrorist groups," there is also no provision for monitoring in the deal. On a battlefield as large and dangerous as Syria, it would be impossible to organize teams of observers before Friday.
Two senior Syrian army officers told Palmer on Tuesday that they had no appetite for a cease-fire yet. They said they're gaining on several fronts around the country, and they don't want to lose momentum.