International desk – Russia and the United States have agreed for a peace plan in conflict-ravaged west Asian country of Syria, according to media reports.

The two superpowers announced the agreement on Syria starting with a “cessation of hostilities” from sunset on Monday.

The Syrian government will end combat missions in specified areas held by the opposition under the plan and Russia and the US will establish a joint centre to combat jihadist groups, including so-called Islamic State.

The announcement follows talks between US Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, according to a BBC report.

The plan would need both the regime and opposition “to meet their obligations”, Kerry said in Geneva.

The opposition had indicated it was prepared to comply with the plan, he said, provided the Syrian government “shows it is serious”.

Lavrov said Russia had informed the Syrian government about the arrangements and the Syrian government was “ready to fulfil them”.

The accord also provides for humanitarian access.

“The cessation of hostilities requires access to all besieged and hard-to-reach areas, including Aleppo,” Kerry said.

Seven days after the start of the cessation of hostilities, Russia and the US will establish a “joint implementation centre” to fight IS and another main group, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham.

Lavrov said the joint implementation centre would allow Russian and US forces to “separate the terrorists from the moderate opposition”.

He said the Russian and US air forces would carry out coordinated strikes against the two groups, and that in some areas, that excluded action by the Syrian air force.

“We have agreed on the areas where such co-ordinated strikes would be taking place, and in those areas, on neutral agreement shared by the Syrian government as well, only the Russian and US air force will be functional,” he was quoted to have said by BBC.

But Lavrov added that “the Syrian air force will be functional in other areas, outside those that we have singled out for Russian-American military co-operation”

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