Partial Syria ceasefire agreed

Russia and the United States have agreed to a ceasefire in southwest Syria starting from midday today, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced Friday.

"Today in Amman Russian, American and Jordanian experts... agreed on a memorandum of understanding to create a de-escalation zone" in the regions of Daraa, Quneitra and Sweida, Lavrov said.

"There will be a ceasefire in this zone from midday Damascus time on July 9."

Lavrov was speaking at the G20 summit in Hamburg where he sat in on talks between US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin -- their first face-to-face meeting.

The agreement includes areas that have seen Israel retaliate for stray fire into the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from recent clashes between Syrian regime forces and rebel fighters.

Russia, an ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has been engaged in talks this year with Turkey and Iran over four so-called de-escalation zones in the war-torn country. Negotiations in Astana this week failed to reach an agreement.

Lavrov said the ceasefire would be supervised by Russian military police "in coordination with the Jordanians and Americans".

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson confirmed the agreement. Tillerson said it showed the United States and Russia were able to work together in Syria and that they would continue to do so.

Tillerson said they would also "work together towards a political process that will secure the future of the Syrian people".

The Syrian army had announced on Monday a unilateral ceasefire to halt fighting in Daraa, Quneitra and Sweida.

These areas form one of the four de-escalation zones agreed under peace talks in Kazakhstan brokered by rebel backer Turkey and regime allies Russia and Iran. The Syrian army's unilateral ceasefire was to have expired at midnight on Thursday.