News / Interviews

Ceasefire great victory for Syrian nation: Analyst

Sunday, 28 February 2016 6:13 AM [ Last Update: Sunday, 28 February 2016 7:41 AM ]

Syrian children play on a swing at a park in the town of Douma, on the eastern edges of the capital Damascus on February 27, 2016, on the first day of the landmark ceasefire agreement. ©AFP

Press TV has conducted an interview with Sukant Chandan, a filmmaker and political commentator from London, and Frederick Peterson, a US congressional defense policy adviser from New York, to comment on the two-week ceasefire that took effect in Syria on Friday night.

Chandan says the cessation of hostilities is a “great victory” for the Syrian people and its leadership as well as their supporters because the situation on the ground amid army gains has forced the Western front to wind down the conflict.

Some 97 Western-backed militant groups have to respect the ceasefire and if they violate the agreement, the Syrian armed forces have the right to respond and pound their positions, he says.

The commentator also says the unity of the Syrian people will eventually make the “imperialist forces” and NATO powers to withdraw their terrorist proxies from the war-ridden Arab nation.

Some Western politicians have now changed their minds, pushing their governments to stop backing the Takfiri militants and stand on the side of the Syrian government.

Peterson, for his part, believes the ceasefire in Syria is based on “treacherous foundations,” adding that the situation on the ground is confusing as the conflict is not “two-sided” and many different groups are involved.

He expresses pessimism on the prospects of the truce, saying several groups are “vying for interests” in Syria, which makes it hard to maintain the truce.

The cessation of hostilities could hold only if all involved sides have the necessary will to stop fighting, Peterson says.

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