On Tuesday evening Chancellor Angela Merkel, Prime Minister David Cameron, President François Hollande and President Barack Obama discussed the situation in Syria. Together they demanded that the parties to the conflict implement the ceasefire "swiftly and comprehensively".

The USA and Russia have come to an agreement on a cessation of hostilities in Syria’s civil war, which is to come into effect on Friday night.

Joint statement of the USA and the Russian Federation on cessation of hostilities

As well as respecting the ceasefire, the parties to the conflict are to refrain from any activities designed to further the aims of territorial expansion. Humanitarian aid agencies are to be given unhindered access to regions in which people urgently need help. The parties to the conflict are bound to respect the United Nations Security Council resolution 2254, which requires them to take part in the UN-led peace talks in Geneva in order to achieve a political solution to the conflict. The aim must be to rapidly launch the political process that will usher in change in Syria. The process is to culminate in a new constitution and free elections.

De-escalate the situation, alleviate the people’s suffering

The most urgent priority, said the heads of state and government is to de-escalate the situation and alleviate the humanitarian emergency. An end to the airstrikes being carried out by the Russian air force and the Syrian army are also crucially important to ease the situation.

In particular there must be no airstrikes against moderate Syrian groups or against the civilian population. This must then be followed by a political transition in line with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254.

Resumption of the political process

At the start of the week Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier stressed that we must do everything we can to ensure further humanitarian progress and continuation of the groundwork for restarting the political process. "Only if there is progress on implementing all three elements agreed in Munich – reducing violence, humanitarian progress and the political process – will it be possible to find a way out of the maelstrom of this terrible civil war in Syria."

Before the start of the Munich Security Conference, the Syria Support Group met on 11 February to discuss the situation in Syria. All participants affirmed their support of the Vienna principles and agreed on concrete steps to improve humanitarian access and put in place a nationwide ceasefire.

The core elements of the principles agreed in Vienna at the end of October 2015 by the twenty or so participating states and organisations, including Germany, were as follows:
- Syria is to be preserved as one state in which people of all ethnic backgrounds and religious convictions can live together in peace.
- A ceasefire and political transition process must be achieved as swiftly as possible.
- Attacks on civilians must be ended and all parties must join forces to fight the IS and Al-Qaeda terrorists.