US, Russia in Talks to Include Aleppo in Syria's 'Regime of Calm'
A new report says Russia, along with the United States, are pushing for talks that would result in Aleppo becoming part of the temporary "regime of calm." Russia said active negotiations are ongoing.
"At present, there is an active negotiation process taking place to establish a regime of calm also in Aleppo province," General Sergei Kuralenko, who heads Russia's ceasefire monitoring center in Syria, is cited as saying in a Reuters report.
The publication said the Syrian army had announced a "regime of calm" on Friday that covers some regions in the country. Kuralenko told Russian news agencies that in Eastern Ghouta, a suburb of Damascus, a freeze in fighting has been extended for 24 hours, reports AFP. A freeze is also holding in the northern Latakia province.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The regime did not include Aleppo and heavy fighting has been reported to continue on Saturday. The Aleppo airstrike took the lives of at least 253 civilians, including 49 children, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group.
The violence has hit medical centers in the country, four of which were hit on Friday, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. On Wednesday, a hospital supported by the organization and Doctors Without Borders was also hit, resulting in the death of 30 people.
"We are calling on all sides interested in establishing peace in Syria to support the Russian-American initiative and not to allow a regime of silence to be disrupted," Kuralenko said, speaking from Russia's Hmeimim air base in Syria.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry expressed "deep concern" about the Syrian city. Meanwhile, spokesman John Kirby said nationwide ceasefire was a "top priority." Kerry arrived in Geneva on Sunday for talks with UN envoy Staffan de Mistura and the foreign ministers of Saudi and Jordan.
