Inside Story

Syria war: Will cessation of hostilities lead to talks?

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad vows to retake all of country even as efforts to reach peace are underway.

The Syrian war has left hundreds of thousands of people dead and millions more displaced, either internally or as refugees seeking asylum in other countries.

The crisis has led many global leaders wondering if a peaceful resolution can be found to the conflict after several failed efforts at getting all parties involved in dialogue. 

But Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has declared that the conflict will not end until all of Syria is back under his control.

Meanwhile, in Munich, a new effort is being seen as a last chance to stop the carnage in Syria. 

A joint effort by the United States, Russia, and other powers, have agreed on a “cessation of hostilities” which is set to begin next week.

The plan is to allow humanitarian aid to be rushed to besieged areas across the country.

But how would that be implemented on the ground? And will it pave the way for renewed peace talks in Syria? 

Presenter: Mike Hanna

Guests: 

Omar Mohamed – Research analyst at the Bahrain Center for Strategic, International and Energy Studies

Igor Sutyagin – Senior research fellow for Russian Studies at the Royal United Services Institute

Sohrab Ahmari – Editorial writer for the Wall Street Journal