Is A Ceasefire In Sight For Syria's Warring Armies?

Turkey and Russia have agreed on a proposal toward a general ceasefire in Syria, Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency said on Wednesday, and will aim to put it into effect by midnight.

Anadolu said the two countries have reached a consensus that will be presented to participants in the conflict on expanding the ceasefire that was established in Aleppo earlier this month.

The news agency's unnamed source said "terrorist organisations" would be excluded from the deal.

A spokesman at Turkey's foreign ministry said he had no immediate comment on the report.

Russia, Iran and Turkey said last week they were ready to help broker a peace deal after holding talks in Moscow where they adopted a declaration setting out the principles any agreement should adhere to.

Arrangements for the talks, which would not include the United States and be distinct from separate intermittent UN-brokered negotiations, remain hazy, but Moscow has said they would take place in Kazakhstan, a close ally.

Russia's foreign minister on Tuesday said the Syrian government was consulting with the opposition ahead of possible peace talks, while a Saudi-backed opposition group said it knew nothing of the negotiations but supported a ceasefire.

Russia and Turkey back opposing sides in the conflict, with Turkey a strong supporter of the rebellion against the Assad regime. Earlier this month they negotiated a ceasefire in Aleppo that led to the evacuation of thousands of fighters and civilians.

Previous attempts at a general ceasefire have broken down within days. The umbrella group representing most of the groups fighting the regime in Syria's complex rebellion, the High Negotiations Committee, said it knew nothing about the latest initiative.

Additional reporting by Reuters