THERE is a concerted international push for a ceasefire in Syria, though strong scepticism is also being voiced about the latest proposal. The US and Russia — powers that have been supporting opposing sides in this brutal conflict — are the principal international backers of the latest peace plan.

Significantly, both the Assad regime and the ‘moderate’ opposition have also indicated support for the initiative, which is scheduled to go into effect this weekend.

Of course, what fuels scepticism about the accord is the fact that numerous attempts to bring the Syrian conflict to a negotiated settlement have failed up until now. If the ceasefire succeeds, it can lead to much-needed humanitarian assistance reaching civilians trapped in war zones.

It may also act as a confidence-building measure between Bashar al-Assad’s government and his opponents — till now both sides have shown little faith in each other.

But if the ceasefire falls through, we may well see the Syrian civil war expand into a wider regional conflict, especially if Turkish and Saudi plans for a ground invasion materialise. That is why it is incumbent upon all internal and external players to support the peace deal.

It goes without saying that the major spoilers in this deal will be the militant Islamic State group, Al Nusra and other extremist concerns which, for obvious reasons, have not been included in the peace deal.

It is a fact that some of these militant groups have had alliances with Mr Assad’s ‘secular’ opponents, and will not be very pleased at attempts to negotiate a settlement.

Along with the Syrian regime and the country’s non-militant opposition, the US, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Iran will have to play major roles in making the ceasefire work and convincing their allies inside the country to avoid violations of the truce.

This may well be the last chance to resolve the Syrian imbroglio before it transforms into something unmanageable involving powers in the region and beyond, while giving IS and other militant groups even more room to operate.

Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2016