I very much welcome the agreement that Washington and Moscow have reached on a ceasefire for Aleppo.

In the strongest possible terms, we urge the Assad regime and all groups fighting there to uphold the ceasefire in full and to grant the people in Aleppo a break from war and violence after these weeks of fear and despair.

Upholding this ceasefire will mean far more than a major relief for the people in Aleppo. It is also an important precondition for the Geneva negotiations between the Assad regime and the Syrian opposition to be resumed as quickly as possible.