The new US-Russia Syrian truce deal is teetering

A UN Security Council meeting scheduled for Saturday on the US-Russian truce agreement for Syria was called off when it became clear that hostilities were continuing without pause well after the ceasefire was due to start last Monday. Convoys of vital food, water and medical aid are still unable to reach the besieged population in rebel-held quarters of Aleppo. Secretary of State John Kerry phoned Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Friday night and demanded that Moscow force Bashar Assad to clear the Castello road for humanitarian aid to go through or else the US would withdraw from its military cooperation accord with Russia in Syria.