"The Syrian state is determined to recover every area from the terrorists," Assad said in an interview broadcast by state media, flanked by his delegation at an otherwise deserted road junction. He made no mention of the ceasefire agreement, but said the army would continue its work "without hesitation, regardless of any internal or external circumstances". The Syrian war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and forced 11 million people from their homes in the world's worst refugee crisis. The letter, seen by Reuters, said the opposition groups would "cooperate positively" with a ceasefire but believed the terms favoured Assad. The government has made no comment on the agreement, but Syrian state media quoted what it called private sources as saying the government had given its approval.

Source: The Star September 12, 2016 12:35 UTC