UN Security Council praises Russia's Syria pullout

March 15, 2016 11:08

The UN Security Council views Russia's decision to begin withdrawing from Syria as a positive step, the body's president has said. The council discussed the surprise Russian announcement during a closed-door meeting, when it also heard a report from UN envoy Staffan de Mistura on a new round of peace talks that opened in Geneva.

"The decision just announced today by the Russian president -- that's a positive step," said Angolan Ambassador Ismael Gaspar Martins, who holds the council's rotating presidency this month. "That's what we like to see."

President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia will begin withdrawing the bulk of its forces from Syria starting on Tuesday. The Kremlin leader said his forces had achieved their military goals and expressed hope that peace talks will yield a settlement to end the five-year war.

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