Syria's opposition is hopeful of a return to peace talks in Geneva if a US-Russian deal on reviving a failed truce is swiftly implemented, a member of the opposition High Negotiations Committee (HNC) says.
Basma Kodmani told Reuters on Monday she hoped that the 17 countries backing the peace talks, known as the International Syria Support Group, would meet on May 17 in Vienna.
"Hopefully that is when we will have seen already on the ground the extension of the cessation of hostilities and consolidation of it with these commitments implemented," Kodmani said by phone from Paris.
The United States and Russia, who support rival sides in Syria's civil war, said on Monday they would work to revive a February "cessation of hostilities" agreement that managed to reduce fighting for almost two months.
Kodmani said Russia had committed to applying the necessary pressure on the government of President Bashar al-Assad to comply with the cessation of hostilities, which would be nationwide and subject to more stringent monitoring.
There was also fairly precise language in the deal about the provision of humanitarian aid to besieged areas, she said.
"So on paper we have something that sounds more serious and more firm than we had so far. Russia is able to get the regime to comply when it wants to, so we are hoping that what is in the statement is what happens on the ground in the coming hours or days."
If so, "there is good hope that we could return to Geneva", she said. There was no date yet for a new round of talks.
Hitherto the cessation of hostilities has been policed by the US and Russia, but Syrian rebel groups have accused Russia of joining with Assad's forces to attack them with impunity. Under the truce, only groups designated as "terrorists" are supposed to be legitimate targets.
Kodmani said the new US-Russia deal was more explicit, specifying the al Qaeda-linked al Nusra Front and the Islamic State militant group as the only legitimate targets.
"There is still ambiguity about whether the air bombings will stop entirely," she said. "The statement is not clear enough about that and we still have some concerns about that."
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