TEHRAN – Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov, held a phone conversation on Thursday welcoming a nationwide truce in Syria.

The two sides agreed to hold constant consultations in line with coordination between Iran, Russia and Turkey to arrange dialogue between the Syrian government and opposition groups in in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Russia and Turkey brokered a truce across Syria despite initial efforts to violate it. The truce took effect on Friday.

In a post on his Twitter Zarif said, “Ceasefire in Syria is a major achievement. Let’s build on it by tackling the roots of extremist terror.”

The deal was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin and confirmed by Turkey. The two nations, which back opposing sides, will act as guarantors.

Syria's military said it halted operations at midnight, except against ISIS and other terror groups, state-run news agency SANA reported.

A Syrian opposition group based in the UK said indications were there were pockets of violence, but large areas of the country were calm.

The High Negotiations Committee (HNC), regarded by the UN as Syria's main opposition body, confirmed the deal.

If the truce holds, peace talks will be held in Kazakhstan within a month.

At least 300,000 people are believed to have been killed in the Syrian war which started in March 2011.

A further four million have fled the country to seek refuge in neighboring states or Europe.

NA/PA