Any party to the Syrian war that is found to repeatedly break a shaky ceasefire agreement could risk foregoing the protection of the truce, an international group of diplomats said on Tuesday.
The International Syria Support Group (ISSG), including the United States, Russia, the United Nations and several Western and Arab nations, met in Vienna to discuss how a cessation of hostilities agreement reached in February could be revived.
"Where the (ISSG) co-chairs believe that a party to the cessation of hostilities has engaged in a pattern of persistent non-compliance, the Task Force could refer such behavior to the ISSG Ministers or those designated by the Ministers to determine appropriate action, including the exclusion of such parties from the arrangements of the cessation and the protection it affords them," the group said in a statement.
The statement comes after international talks on the Syrian conflict ended Tuesday without a new date to restart peace talks, but the parties involved vowed to strengthen a shaky ceasefire.
"We have agreed consequences for any side's actions that have an agenda other than that of trying to reach an agreement and trying to reach peace," said U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the end of the talks in Vienna.
A local truce took effect in Aleppo on May 5 after a surge in fighting in the city killed more than 300 people and threatened to unravel a nationwide ceasefire between government forces and moderate groups in force since February. The truce has led to a sharp reduction in the death toll.
