Syria Agrees to Suspend Aerial Bombardment of Aleppo for Six Weeks

“U.N. envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura says Damascus is prepared to suspend its aerial bombardment of Aleppo for six weeks for a trial cease-fire,” the BBC reports.

De Mistura has been working since October to advance a proposal for local cease-fire or “incremental freeze zones” across Syria, starting with the city of Aleppo, in an attempt to halt the fighting and provide humanitarian aid to civilians. During his most recent visit to Syria, the envoy spoke with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad about his proposal, during which Assad apparently indicated a willingness to cease all aerial shelling of Aleppo for a period of six weeks.

The envoy mentioned that it is uncertain when the cessation of air raids would begin.

“De Mistura said he would return to Syria as soon as possible with the aim of announcing a freeze in the fighting in the northern city, during which opposition forces would also be expected to suspend their mortar and rocket fire,” the BBC reports.

Opposition groups have voiced skepticism about the plan and expressed fears that the government would exploit cease-fires to regroup their forces for more assaults elsewhere. The opposition Syrian National Council issued a response to the announcement, saying the regime would be judged by actions rather than words.

The envoy hopes that the cessation of violence will bring much-needed humanitarian aid access to Aleppo, a first step towards a broader solution in Syria.

Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city, is at the heart of clashes between government forces and insurgents that include Jabhat al-Nusra, Islamist brigades and Western-backed rebels. Large swaths of Aleppo have been razed to the ground and many civilians have been killed since fighting began in Aleppo in mid-2012.

“Let’s be frank, I have no illusions, because based on past experiences, this will be a difficult issue to be achieved,” he said. The Syrian army has made rapid advances near Aleppo in recent days. More than 100 soldiers and rebels were killed on Tuesday as government forces captured several villages north of Aleppo as they tried to cut a crucial rebel supply route inside the city.

“The regime troops have two goals in the area: to cut the road leading from Aleppo to the Turkish border, which is the key supply road for the rebels, and to open the way to Nubl and Zahraa,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told AFP.

According to the pro-government al-Watan newspaper, government forces hope to completely surround Aleppo this week. Analysts have suggested that the government’s progress in Aleppo has reduced the likelihood of a cease-fire.

U.S., Turkey Close to Signing Syrian Opposition Train and Equip Deal

“The United States and Turkey have reached a tentative agreement on training and equipping moderate Syrian opposition groups and expect to sign the pact soon,” Reuters reports.

“I can confirm that we have reached an agreement in principle with Turkey on training and equipping the Syrian opposition groups,” U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters.

“Negotiations have been concluded and an agreement text will be signed with the U.S. regarding the training of the Free Syrian Army in the coming period,” Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic said.

The U.S. military has indicated that it will send more than 400 troops to train Syrian moderate rebels as part of its efforts to confront the Islamic State. Under the plan, up to 5,000 Syrian fighters will be trained over a period of three years. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey have publicly acknowledged offers to host training sites.

“As we have announced before, Turkey has agreed to be one of the regional hosts for the train-and-equip program for moderate Syrian opposition forces. We expect to conclude and sign the agreement with Turkey soon,” Psaki said.

Turkey hopes that the training will bolster the weakened and fragmented opposition that is currently involved in a two-front fight against extremists and the Syrian regime. Turkey has indicated that Assad’s departure remains its focus in Syria and expressed reluctance to join the U.S.-led coalition strikes against the Islamic State. Washington’s priority remains fighting the militant group.

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• AFP: U.S. Announces Another $125 Million in Aid for Syria Crisis
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Photo Courtesy of AP Images