MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian and Syrian armed forces will pause attacks on the Syrian city of Aleppo for eight hours on Thursday to allow civilians and rebels to leave the city, theRussian Defence Ministry said yesterday.
But Moscow ruled out a lasting ceasefire, a step that Western governments have been demanding, saying that would only give Islamist rebels in the city an opportunity to regroup. The United Nations, which has long called for weekly 48-hour humanitarian pauses in the fighting, welcomed the Russian announcement.
“Any lessening of the violence, lessening of the fighting, any pause that’s actually implemented, would be very much welcome,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters.
“We will use whatever pause we have to do whatever we can. Obviously there is a need for a longer pause in order to get (aid) trucks in,” he said.
Russian aircraft and Syrian forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad have been bombarding rebel-controlled districts of Aleppo since the collapse of an internationally-brokered ceasefire last month.
The United States and some European states have accused Moscow and Syria of committing atrocities, but Russian officials deny that and accuse the West of
