Syria ceasefire deal could be agreed within 24 hours: Saudi minister

Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Tuesday there was a possibility of reaching an agreement on a ceasefire in Syria within 24 hours.

Saudi foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir said on Tuesday there was a possibility of reaching an agreement on a ceasefire in Syria within 24 hours.

US secretary of state John Kerry (left) and Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov brief the media after their meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. (AP Photo)

Asked at a briefing with reporters in London to comment on the failure of the United States and Russia to agree a ceasefire, al Jubeir said he would not describe it as a failure but as a work in progress.

“There is a possibility of arriving at an understanding in the next 24 hours or so that will test Bashar al-Assad’s seriousness to comply,” he said.

But the minister went on to say Assad’s history did not inspire optimism about implementation of any agreement.

A cessation of hostilities agreement brokered by US secretary of state John Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov in February unravelled within weeks, with Washington accusing Assad’s forces of violating the pact.