UN hopeful of humanitarian pause in Aleppo fighting

The United Nations said yesterday that intensive diplomacy was going on to try to agree a humanitarian pause in the fighting in the Syrian city of Aleppo, and it hoped to see a deal for a comprehensive humanitarian plan in the next few days.

The battle for Aleppo, pitting besieged rebels against Syrian, Russian and Iranian-backed forces, has erupted amid a diplomatic vacuum and little progress in US-Russian efforts for a new round of peace talks.

"There is still time, we cannot give up hope. Bear with us and I think in the next few days there might be some movement," UN deputy special envoy for Syria Ramzy Ezzeldin Ramzy told reporters in Geneva. Ramzy said US-Russian negotiations were ongoing and the United Nations was still committed to its goal of holding a new round of talks between the Syrian government and opposition towards the end of August.

The United States and Russia were in intensive discussions to "shore up" Syria's collapsed nationwide truce and their military experts were still trying to agree a cooperation plan "that would unlock the entire solution", Ramzy said.

“We continue to believe that no one has an interest in further escalating the military situation in Aleppo in a way that would impede humanitarian aid and also impede chances of political settlement,” he said.

“We need to do something about Aleppo and very quickly. There is still a chance for that in the next days.”

He was speaking after a weekly meeting of the Syria humanitarian taskforce, and a week after Russia wrongfooted the UN by unveiling a plan for humanitarian corridors and the evacuation of Aleppo’s civilians.

– (Reuters)