1ST LEAD Kremlin: al-Assad confirms support for Syrian ceasefire By Peter Spinella

Moscow (dpa) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad confirmed support for the planned ceasefire in his country during a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Kremlin said Wednesday.Al-Assad described the ceasefire as an "important step toward a political resolution" for Syria‘s civil war, the Kremlin said in a statement on its website.Putin and al-Assad emphasized the necessity of continuing an "uncompromised fight" against UN-designated terrorist groups, such as Islamic State and al-Nusra Front, the statement said.The ceasefire, which will affect the government‘s military, foreign interventionist forces and certain rebel groups, is planned to come into force on Saturday at midnight (2200 GMT Friday).The ceasefire was agreed earlier this week by Russia and the United States, which have intervened militarily in the conflict.On Wednesday, the Kremlin‘s spokesman told reporters that the intervention has improved trust between Russia and the US."Collaboration to any degree leads to an increased level of mutual trust," spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in comments carried by the Interfax news agency.