US and Russia agree to implement ceasefire in Syria on Saturday
A week prior, the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), a group of countries with interests in the outcome of the Syria conflict that includes the US, and Russia, announced that a "cessation of hostilities" would begin within one week.
On Monday, the US-Russian plan calling for a cessation of hostilities in Syria is set to begin on Feb. 27.
The ceasefire will exclude Islamic State and al-Qaeda linked Nusra Front militants, two Western diplomatic sources told Reuters.
Secretary of State John Kerry continues to broker the deal and spoke of the ceasefire on Feb. 19.
"Working out modalities for a cessation of hostilities in a situation like Syria is a highly technical and detailed process; and that's why our teams are still at it," Kerry said Friday, according to Reuters.
"We want this process to be sustainable, and should all participants prove willing to really sit down and work this out, we can get to a cessation of hostilities."
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed a report by the Al Jazeera television network, which also reported that the draft calls on Syrian parties to agree to the cessation of hostilities by midday on Feb. 26. One of the sources said this was accurate, but the second was unable to confirm it.
(Tom Miles in Geneva, Arshad Mohammed in Washington and Yara Bayoumy in Dubai; Editing by Eric Walsh)