Friday, October 7, 2016

Russia ready to support UN envoy’s proposal to allow Al Nusra to exit Aleppo with arms – Lavrov

Russia ready to support UN envoy’s proposal to allow Al Nusra to exit Aleppo with arms – Lavrov

Published time: 7 Oct, 2016 12:29Edited time: 7 Oct, 2016 13:06

People inspect a damaged site after airstrikes in the Karam Houmid neighbourhood in Aleppo, Syria October 4, 2016. © Abdalrhman Ismail

People inspect a damaged site after airstrikes in the Karam Houmid neighbourhood in Aleppo, Syria October 4, 2016. © Abdalrhman Ismail / Reuters

Russia is ready to urge the Syrian government to let Al-Nusra Front militants exit Aleppo with their weapons, as proposed by the UN envoy to Syria, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says.

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Once the jihadists exit the war-ravaged city, Syrian government troops and the opposition will be able to form joint law-and-order bodies, Russia’s top diplomat said, as cited by RIA Novosti.

A boy walks behind a woman carrying a child along a street in the northern Syrian town of al-Rai, in Aleppo © Khalil Ashawi
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In the first place, those who don’t leave with ‘Nusra’ should clearly separate themselves [from it], on paper, officially sign such a commitment,” Lavrov said.

Maybe then the government law enforcers and this armed opposition will be able to form some kind of joint law-and-order bodies to ensure normal life, so that people would feel safe,” he continued.

On Thursday, the UN’s envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, warned that East Aleppo might be destroyed within two months if the military action in the city continues. He also urged Al-Nusra to leave the city, saying that he is willing to personally escort them out.

If you [Al-Nusra] did decide to leave, in dignity with your weapons, to Idlib or anywhere you wanted to go, I personally am ready, physically ready, to accompany you,” he said.

Lavrov noted that according to the UN estimations there are between six and eight thousand militants in Aleppo.

Among them up to half, that what Mistura said in the UN Security Council [are from] ‘Jabhat Al-Nusra,” the Russian Foreign Minister said.


If Al-Nusra exits Aleppo and moves to Idlib, where its major forces are located, Russia “will be ready to call on the Syrian Government to agree with that,” Lavrov added.

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