Started ceasefire talks with rebel groups: Russia

Moscow said Wednesday it had started ceasefire negotiations with armed groups in several Syrian provinces following a Moscow-Washington deal on a cessation of hostilities in the war-torn country.

The Russian defence ministry said it had opened a coordination centre at its air base in Syria that is "already carrying out work with representatives of the groups in various settlements in the provinces of Hama, Homs, Latakia, Damascus and Deraa."

Some local ceasefires have already been agreed, its statement said.

Moscow said it had already secured "practical results in the north of Latakia province", adding that "military action has halted" in settlements including Ghnaymeh and Borj Islam in the mountainous area.

Still, over the past two days Russian warplanes have carried out 62 sorties over 187 targets in the provinces of Hama, Raqqa, Aleppo, Homs and Deir Ezzor.

Talks on ceasefires in other settlements in Latakia and Homs were under way, Russia said.

"This work is not simple as it requires not only phone talks but also trips to sites to implement the ceasefire agreements and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the people," the ministry said.

Russia said it has also reduced the number of airstrikes over the past two days, primarily in the areas from where ceasefire requests were received.

A ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia and the United States does not apply to jihadists like the Islamic State group and Al-Nusra Front and calls for a "cessation of hostilities" between regime forces and opposition groups from 2200 GMT on Friday.

But some US officials have expressed doubt over whether Russia will respect the ceasefire, with Secretary of State John Kerry warning that Washington was considering a "Plan B" if Moscow and Damascus do not keep their side of the bargain.

The Russian defence ministry in turn urged the US to take practical steps towards the ceasefire.

"We are preparing for -- and moreover -- have begun concrete and difficult practical work towards reconciliation in the Syrian Arab Republic," it said.

"We are expecting our American partners to shift to concrete deeds as soon as possible instead of letters and words," it said in an apparent dig at Kerry's Plan B comment.

Moscow said that Russians had on Tuesday informed the US military about the work of the coordination centre.

"So far there have not been any reciprocal steps from our partners," the ministry said.

The defence ministry complained that the peace deal "does not suit everyone", adding that Turkey was continuing to use large-calibre artillery to shell Syrian settlements.

Russia said separately that Kerry had phoned his counterpart Sergei Lavrov to discuss the "modalities" of the Syrian settlement.

They discussed a resumption of political talks "as soon as possible", the foreign ministry said.

Russian warplanes, which have been carrying out a bombing campaign in Syria since late September, are continuing to target jihadists from the Islamic State and other "terrorist" groups, Moscow said.