Syria: Ceasefire, Cessation of Hostilities or Truce ?
Cessation of hostilities, ceasefire or truce: these terms, all used in attempts to resolve the conflict in Syria, are similar and often used indiscriminately.
However, they have different legal and symbolic meanings.
The United States and Russia on February 22 announced plans for a landmark "cessation of hostilities" to take effect in war-torn Syria on February 27 midnight (2200 GMT Friday), excluding the main jihadist factions.
While the Damascus regime said it would accept the "cessation of hostilities", the main Syrian opposition groups said they were committed to a two-week "truce".
A truce is a limited and temporary halt of activities or hostilities during a war.
In Syria, brief and one-off truces have been concluded on several occasions between the regime and rebels in certain regions of the country, particularly to permit the delivery of humanitarian aid.
A cessation of hostilities is a more formal designation, which, however, falls short of a formal ceasefire signed by the warring parties.
- The Lebanese precedent -
In August 2006, more than a month after the devastating war between Israel and Hizbullah, a U.N. Security Council resolution provided for a simple cessation of hostilities, and not a formal ceasefire.
A call for a cessation of hostilities "is an inducement to not exchange fire, while a ceasefire corresponds to an accord reached between the parties, to precise commitments by belligerent parties," according to a spokesman for France's foreign ministry.
The Belgian foreign ministry explained that the cessation of hostilities corresponds to an "established fact" while a lasting ceasefire covers a "legal concept".
A cessation of hostilities is a first essential step to resolving a conflict, notably to permit the delivery of humanitarian aid.
A simple cessation of hostilities could also permit a military response to the side that breaks it.
Source: Agence France Presse
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