Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L) and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (R) attend a bilateral meeting in Rome, Italy December 2, 2016. © Gregorio Borgia / Reuters
US Secretary of State John Kerry has made a proposal of prodcedure of withdrawal of “rebel forces” from Aleppo city, RT reported on December 5, citing Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
“Moscow is ready to immediately send our military experts and diplomats to Geneva to work out joint actions with our US colleagues in line with the [new] American proposals, which would ensure the withdrawal of all militants without exception from eastern Aleppo, and would provide unimpeded humanitarian supplies to the city’s residents and ensure the establishment of normal life in eastern Aleppo,” RT quoted Lavrov as saying.
According to the report, Msocow is ready to send military officials and diplomats to Geneva to work out a joint plan of action for Aleppo, immediately.
Lavrov noted that until Friday, the United States had trying to “push provisions that would take the heat off Al-Nusra, which directs the militants in the unliberated parts of eastern Aleppo.”
“However, yesterday at our meeting in Rome, John Kerry passed on to us proposals from Washington that are in line with the suggestions from Russia’s experts,” the Russian diplomat added.
Earlier today, Lavrov slammed a draft of the United Nations Security Council resolution on Aleppo as a provocation to undermmine the Russian-US talks on the issue.
The draf resolution included a proposal of 10-days ceasefire in the city.
“Considering the way previous pauses passed, we have no doubts the 10-day pause for militants will be used by the extremists to regroup and recover strength and will therefore impede the liberation of Eastern Aleppo,” Sputniknews quoted Lavrov.
The Russian Foreign Minister said that the ceasefire regime in Aleppo will be possible after the routes and dates of militants’ withdrawal from the Syrian city are agreed.
“The armed groups that refuse to leave eastern Aleppo will be equated to terrorists. They will continue the armed struggle by not wanting to leave eastern Aleppo. We shall treat them as such, as terrorists, extremists. We shall continue to support the operation of the Syrian army against such gangs,” he told reporters.
Earlier, the mainstream media dissiminated the info that “rebels” denied any options to withdraw from the city under any US-Russia agreement.
Rebel groups in Aleppo have told the United States they will not leave their shrinking enclave, a senior rebel official told Reuters, after Russia call for talks with Washington over a full withdrawal of opposition fighters.
