All eyes on Syria as ceasefire deadline looms

U.S. President Barack Obama has warned Moscow and Damascus the "world will be watching" their commitment to a looming ceasefire, as the 17-nation group backing the Syria peace process prepared to fine-tune the deal.

Obama said the next few days would be critical for the partial truce brokered by Moscow and Washington - due to begin at midnight Feb. 26 - which has been agreed by both Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime and Syria's top opposition grouping. 

The deal - which excludes the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and the Nusra Front - marks the biggest diplomatic push yet to help end Syria's violence, but has been plagued by doubts after the failure of previous peace efforts.

Members of the 17-nation International Syria Support Group (ISSG) backing the process are to meet in Geneva on Feb. 26 to work out further details of the agreement, which is expected to be endorsed by the U.N. Security Council on the same day, diplomats said.

UN draft resolution to be voted on Feb 26, diplomats say 

The joint draft resolution, which Russia and the United States circulated to the U.N. Security Council on Feb. 25 and diplomats say the 15-nation council plans to put to a vote on the afternoon of Feb. 26, would endorse the halt in fighting and demand that it begin as planned at midnight local time on Feb. 26. 

It also "demands that all parties to whom the cessation of hostilities applies ... fulfill their commitments," according to Reuters, which says it saw the draft resolution. 

The draft further "urges all Member States, especially ISSG members, to use their influence with the parties to the cessation of hostilities to ensure fulfillment of those commitments and to support efforts to create...