France vows to push Putin on extending Aleppo truce

UN stresses that it needs at least 48 hours to deliver desperately needed supplies and evacuate the wounded

By AFP 19 October 2016, 5:55 pm
French President Francois Hollande arrives for a joint press conference with the president of the civil committee of Aleppo and the leader of Syria's White Helmets at the Elysee palace in Paris on October 19, 2016. (AFP PHOTO / ALAIN JOCARD)

French President Francois Hollande vowed to work with Germany to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to back an extension of the ceasefire in the Syrian city of Aleppo when the three leaders meet later Wednesday.

“France will do everything it can to exert pressure, especially on supporters of the (Syrian) regime, such as the Russians, so that the ceasefire can be extended,” Hollande said before leaving for the meeting chaired by Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin.

The UN earlier on Wednesday dashed hopes that a prospective ceasefire in east Aleppo could provide humanitarian relief for besieged civilians, saying all sides needed to back an extended truce before aid convoys could roll.

A plan to pause fighting for eight hours in rebel-held east Aleppo from 0500 GMT on Thursday has been announced by Assad regime ally Russia — with no word from the Damascus government that it intends to honor the deal.

A member of the Syrian Civil Defense, known as the White Helmets, stands amid the rubble of a destroyed building during a rescue operation following reported air strikes in the rebel-held Qatarji neighborhood of the northern city of Aleppo, on October 17, 2016. (AFP PHOTO/KARAM AL-MASRI)

“Before we can do something really meaningful… we need assurances from all parties,” said Jens Laerke, spokesman for the United Nations humanitarian agency (OCHA) in Geneva.

“We need a minimum of 48 hours,” he added, stressing that Russia’s time-limited deal would not be sufficient for UN teams to mobilize.

Aside from getting desperately needed supplies to east Aleppo’s estimated 250,000 civilians, the UN also wants to evacuate hundreds of people in urgent need of medical care.

UN and Red Cross trucks packed with aid for east Aleppo have been stalled near the Turkish border for weeks, waiting for guarantees that they can safely make deliveries.

Jameel Mustafa Habboush, 13, receives oxygen from civil defence volunteers, known as the White Helmets, as they rescue him from under the rubble of a building following Russian air strikes on the rebel-held Fardous neighborhood of the northern embattled Syrian city of Aleppo on October 11, 2016. (AFP/Thaer Mohammed)

Moscow has said Thursday’s proposed truce could give civilians an opportunity to flee the city.

There has been a pause in air strikes over east Aleppo since Tuesday, a lull Russia says could allow residents time to prepare to leave.

Syrian and Russian jets have been bombarding the area in a brutal offensive to retake the key city from rebel fighters.

Washington has voiced skepticism over the prospects for Thurday’s truce.

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