48-Hour Cease-Fire in Aleppo After U.S.-Russian Agreement |

DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - Syrian military confirms 48-hour cease-fire in northern city of Aleppo after U.S.-Russian agreement.

Germany's foreign minister has welcomed the U.S.-Russian agreement to extend Syria's fragile cease-fire to the country's biggest city, Aleppo.

Frank-Walter Steinmeier called for President Bashar Assad's government and all armed groups to respect the cease-fire in full and give the people of Aleppo "a respite from war and violence."

Steinmeier and his French counterpart Jean-Marc Ayrault held meetings earlier Wednesday with U.N. Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura and Syrian opposition leader Riad Hijab, part of diplomatic efforts to help shore up the cease-fire after days of fighting in Aleppo.

Steinmeier said in a statement that "if the cease-fire is kept to, that will be far more than a major relief for people in Aleppo." He said it would be an "important basis" for resuming peace talks in Geneva.