A temporary “cessation of hostilities” was set to begin Saturday in Syria, but significant questions remained about the viability of the fragile peace effort brokered by the U.S. and Russia. The temporary truce is scheduled to go into effect just days before March 1, an original cease-fire date proposed by the Russians. The U.S. had pushed for an earlier date, fearing that the extra time would give Russia and the Syrian government an opportunity to make key gains against rebel forces backed by the Americans. The failure of a previously negotiated cease-fire as well as reports that Russian airstrikes had intensified overnight in key rebel strongholds bolstered perceptions that Moscow was pursuing such a strategy. "It's more intense than usual,” Syrian Observatory for Human Rights head Rami Abdel Rahman told Agence France-Presse of the attacks ahead of Saturday. “It's as if they want to subdue rebels in these regions or score points before the cease-fire."



A spokesperson for Russian President Vladimir Putin denied the reports, saying said it wasn’t "the first time this observation group has published unconfirmed information that isn't backed up by facts."



Moscow has maintained that its air campaign, begun in September in support of Syrian President Bashar Assad Syria, is rooting out the Islamic State group. The U.S. and Russia have pledged to continue the military campaign against the extremists and other terrorist organizations like the Nusra Front, the Syrian arm of al-Qaida, even after the truce takes hold.

But the West says so far Russia’s campaign has instead largely targeted Syrian opposition, which Assad and Russia also categorize as terrorists. Putin on Friday insisted that Russia would continue targeting terrorists even after the cease-fire goes into effect. He was quoted by a Russian state news agency as saying the “decisive fight against them will certainly continue."

It remains to be seen whether the Russian president invokes the broad exemption to continue the bombing campaign against rebel groups beyond the point at which the hostilities are scheduled to be suspended.

All groups, with the exception of terrorist organizations, have committed to stop fighting by midnight Friday in Damascus. The High Negotiating Committee, the umbrella organization for the scores of opposition groups, said 97 of its factions will abide by the truce. The Syrian government has also agreed to stop fighting but said it retains the right to retaliate against any violations.

Turkey, too, threatens to derail the temporary peace. A spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Friday that “depending on the situation on the ground,” his country retained the right to target Syrian Kurds, who have been using the cover of Russian air strikes to move closer to the Turkish border. Turkey considers the U.S-backed opposition group a terrorist organization, blaming it for a bombing last week in Ankara that killed 29 and alleging it has ties to its own internal Kurdish element.

Kerry said this week he wasn’t sure if the cease-fire agreement would actually go into effect on Saturday as planned, but that if peace was put off much longer it may be impossible to keep Syria united.



"I'm not going to vouch for this,” Kerry told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, sounding less optimistic of the process than he has in the past. “I'm not going to say this process is going to work because I don't know.”

In that Senate hearing and in front of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Thursday, Kerry referenced a “Plan B” if the cease-fire and the U.N. peace process designed to form a transitional government do not succeed. He did not elaborate on what that plan would entail, but the U.S. has so far resisted further military action in Syria, particularly any that would involve U.S. troops on the ground. Critics of the administration’s policy say that only emboldens foes like Russia, who know no real consequences will come from violations of diplomatic agreements like Saturday’s truce.

While the first peace effort between the U.S. and Russia reached Feb. 12 in Munich failed on the battlefield, part of that agreement was also to increase access of humanitarian groups to besieged areas in Syria, which has had some success. Aid organizations have been able to get direly needed food and supplies to communities that had been cut off by fighting. The war has had a tremendous civilian impact, with millions needing humanitarian assistance within the country and millions more fleeing outside Syria’s borders.

Whether or not the fighting stops come Saturday will also impact the viability of a U.N.-led peace process that attempts to reach a political solution to the nearly five-year civil war. U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Steffan de Mistura said Thursday a new date for the resumption of talks would be announced Friday in the process that aims to hold elections within 18 months. Halted Feb. 3 and originally set to start up again this week, the process was postponed due to continued differences between the parties.



