Kerry: The ceasefire may be the 'last chance to save a united Syria' - but it could go south

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john kerry

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John Kerry at a meeting in Bejing in June.

Secretary of State John Kerry warned that the ceasefire deal brokered by the US and Russia "may be the last chance we have to save a united Syria," CNN reported on Monday, hours after the truce started.

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The Obama administration believes a truce leading to negotiations "is the only realistic possible solution," Kerry told reporters at the State Department.

Kerry acknowledged the temporary peace deal is "less than perfect" but said the situation in Syria before the deal was "worse than flawed," according to CNN.

Kerry said it was too early to evaluate the effectiveness of the ceasefire, and casted no doubt that some violence will be reported "here and there," according to Reuters.

Early reports demonstrate some reduction of violnece in Syria but there's also some evidence indicating the new Syria deal is already falling part.

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The largest rebel group in Syria said on Sunday it would not respect the US-Russia planned ceasefire. The al-Qaeda leaning group, who said a truce would only benefit the Assad forces, could make it difficult for a "genuine reduction in violence" to occur, according to Daily Caller.

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad vowed to "retake every inch of Syria" hours before the start of the ceasefire, and said the army would continue its work "without hesitation, regardless of any internal or external circumstances" without mentionting the truce agreement explicitly, Reuters reported.

SYRIA CONTROL map

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Kerry noted there is some "discretion" for US and Russia to assess the Assad regime and opposition groups and said, "We're going to measure it every single day, and we'll see where we are."

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