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WORLD NEWS Monday 19 deceMber 2016

France, Russia reach compromise as Aleppo rescue uncertain

KARIN LAUB government TV stations were stressed and fright-
EDITH M. LEDERER showed dozens of buses on ened. “Government forces
Associated Press stand-by at a crossing near are just ahead of me and if
BEIRUT (AP) — France eastern Aleppo, reportedly anything goes wrong I’ll be
struck a compromise Sun- poised to resume evacua- the first to die,” he wrote.
day with Russia on a U.N. tions from the opposition’s Zien said evacuees were
resolution that it said would last foothold in the city. crammed 70 people to a
prevent “mass atrocities” The evacuations had been bus, with many having no
in besieged areas of Alep- suspended two days ear- room to sit. He said the Red
po, where thousands of lier amid mutual recrimina- Crescent, which is facilitat-
trapped civilians and rebel tions after several thousand ing the evacuation, had
fighters await evacuation people had been ferried been unable to provide
in freezing temperatures. out of the war zone. Thou- water. He said there were
On the ground, prospects sands more desperate civil- 50 to 60 buses in the con-
for swift evacuations from ians are believed trapped voy.
Aleppo and other be- in the city. On Friday, a bus convoy
sieged areas were thrown About 2,700 children were carrying evacuees was
into doubt again Sunday evacuated in the first res- stuck in government ter-
after militants burned buses cue mission earlier this ritory in Aleppo and was
assigned to the rescue op- week, but hundreds more turned back after being
eration. “are now waiting in freez- searched.
The Aleppo evacuations ing temperatures, close The continued suspension
were to have been part of to the front lines,” said of evacuations is throwing
a wider deal that would si- Shushan Mebrahtu of the into disarray an Aleppo Syria’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Bashar
multaneously allow more U.N. agency for children, deal that had been bro- Jaafari, left, speaks to others on the floor of the U.N. Security
than 2,000 sick and wound- UNICEF. “We are deeply kered last week by Syria Council chamber at United Nations headquarters Sunday, Dec.
ed people to leave two worried.” ally Russia and opposition 18, 2016, before an anticipated vote on a resolution demanding
pro-government villages Wissam Zarqa, an English supporter Turkey. immediate and unconditional access for the United Nations and
that have been besieged teacher and Aleppo resi- The deal marked a turn- its partners to besieged parts of Aleppo and throughout Syria to
by Syrian rebels. Most vil- dent, said he went to an ing point in the country’s ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid. Associated Press
lagers are Shiite Muslims, evacuation point on Sun- civil war. With the opposi-
while most rebels are Sunni day afternoon and found tion leaving Aleppo, Syr-
Muslims. buses with evacuees on ian President Bashar Assad
Six buses that were among board, but that the vehi- has effectively reasserted would vote on the resolu- said the resolution would
those poised to enter the cles did not move. The op- his control over Syria’s five tion at 9 a.m. EST on Mon- quickly put more than
villages of Foua and Kfarya position’s Britain-based Syr- largest cities and its Medi- day. 100 U.N. personnel on the
on Sunday were set on fire ian Observatory for Human terranean coast nearly He said some countries ground to monitor evacua-
by unidentified militants, Rights also said the buses six years after a national want to report to their cap- tions. “The text contains all
presumably to scuttle any hadn’t left the city. movement to unseat him itals overnight. He said he the elements for safe, se-
deal. A bus convoy with Aleppo took hold. hoped for a positive vote, cure, dignified evacuation,
A video posted online evacuees was stuck for At the United Nations, but that he remained cau- for humanitarian access to
showed armed men near hours in a buffer zone be- France and Russia an- tious. those who choose to re-
the burning buses as cel- tween the front lines in the nounced agreement on a Russia’s U.N. ambassador, main in eastern Aleppo”
ebratory gunshots rang city, without food or water, compromise U.N. resolution Vitaly Churkin, told report- and for protecting civilians,
out. “The buses that came according to aid officials to deploy U.N. monitors to ers before consultations she said.She said that fol-
to evacuate the apostates familiar with the nego- eastern Aleppo to ensure that Moscow could not lowing the siege in eastern
have been burned,” the tiations between the two safe evacuations and im- accept the French draft Aleppo, there have been
narrator of the video said. sides. mediate delivery of hu- resolution unless it was “many, many reports of
He warned that no “Shiite Eastern Aleppo resident manitarian aid. changed. He presented people being pulled off
pigs” would be allowed to Rami Zien, who said he France’s U.N. ambassa- council members with a ri- buses and disappeared,
leave the towns. was on one of the buses dor, Francois Delattre, told val text. whether into conscription
The video could not be “stuck in a no-man’s land” reporters the compromise After the consultations, or into torture chambers or
verified independently, but between government and was reached after more Churkin said a “good text” killed outright.” Deploying
was in line with AP report- rebel control, told The As- than three hours of closed had been formulated. U.N. monitors would deter
ing from the area. sociated Press via messen- consultations on Sunday The U.S. ambassador to “some of the worst excess-
Earlier Sunday, pro-Syrian ger service that evacuees and the Security Council the U.N., Samantha Power, es,” she said.