UN set to deliver aid to Homs as ceasefire stands

An uneasy ceasefire has come into effect in Homs, Syria, following the implementation of a truce discussed at the Geneva 2 peace talks last week.

The besieged city was quiet on Friday and it is hoped the truce will continue long enough for the evacuation of civilians and the delivery of aid. 

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Maqdad said the government was "very happy" that the evacuations were now possible.

"This will allow innocent civilians, children and people with special needs, to leave the country," he said.

"We're very happy that we found the possibility to bring out these people and to provide those who are in need inside Homs, with the humanitarian aid they deserve."

The rebel-held Old Homs districts in the centre of the city have been under tight siege from President Bashar al-Assad's troops since June 2012. Thousands of residents there live in dire conditions, amid an acute shortage of food and medicine.

The United Nations welcomed reports of the agreement between the warring sides, a UN spokesman said.

"The United Nations and humanitarian partners had pre-positioned food, medical and other basic supplies on the outskirts of Homs ready for immediate delivery as soon as the green light was given by the parties for its passage. Aid staff were also on standby,"  UN spokesman Farhan Haq said in a statement in New York.

Syria earlier said it reached a deal to allow "innocent" civilians to leave, potentially the first positive result after deadlocked peace talks in Switzerland last week, the Reuters news agency reported.

 At the Geneva talks, the Syrian government said women and children could leave the besieged parts of Homs immediately.

Al Jazeera's diplomatic editor James Bays, reporting from UN headquarters in New York, said more detailed statements from a Security Council meeting on Thursday were expected when it ended.

"It's worth stressing at this stage that this is an agreement. No one yet has got any aid in and no one has yet left the old city of Homs," he said.

"An agreement on this was announced about two weeks ago ... early on in the Geneva talks. And nothing then happened.

"The UN seems optimistic, but there is no confirmation yet that anyone has left the old city of Homs. No convoy has started moving."

At the Geneva talks, the government asked the opposition to provide names of male civilians who may wish to leave the siege imposed by its forces along with women and children.