* 'Cessation of hostilities' to take effect Saturday * U.N. envoy sees quick resumption of talks * rebels say Russia, Syria handed pretext to keep bombing (Adds truce detail, rebel near Aleppo, opposition meeting in Riyadh, analyst reaction) By Arshad Mohammed and Tom Perry WASHINGTON/BEIRUT, Feb 22 (Reuters) - The United States and Russia an**unced plans for a 'cessation of hostilities' in Syria that would take effect on Saturday but exclude groups such as Islamic State and al Qaeda's Nusra Front, a loophole that Syrian rebels immediately highlighted as a problem. Monday's agreement, described by a U.N. spokesman as "a first step towards a more durable ceasefire", is the fruit of intensive diplomacy between Washington and Moscow, which back opposing sides in the five-year-old civil war that has killed more than a quarter of a million people.
02-23-2016, 01:51 AM
Syrian rebels see flaws in U.S.-Russian truce plan
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