Russia says Syria ceasefire process underway despite U.S. sabotage attempts

Russia said on Thursday the Syria ceasefire process was underway despite what it said were attempts by some U.S. officials to sabotage it, while reiterating that Russian warplanes would continue pounding what it called terrorist groups.

The "cessation of hostilities" agreed by the United States and Russia is due to take hold on Saturday morning from midnight. Damascus has agreed to the deal, as has the main opposition alliance, though it is only ready to commit for two weeks given its deep reservations.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said "some U.S. officials" had tried to "sabotage" the ceasefire plan "by interpreting it from such cardinally different points."

"By and large, a number of (U.S.) officials in fact attempted to call into question the agreements reached, which were approved by the two presidents," she told a news briefing on Thursday. "It actually looked like sabotage."

Commenting on the current state of interaction with Washington, she said: "We are in contact with American officials, the process is underway and is very active... We have an exchange of information, our military are in contact."

Officials in Moscow have been unnerved by a statement by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry shortly after the ceasefire plan was reached that Washington was also considering an unspecified "Plan B".

There is no "Plan B" on Syria's ceasefire and will not be one, RIA new agency quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-russia-idUSKCN0VY1LR