The Damascus government of Syrian President Bashar Assad called on US President-elect Donald Trump to end Washington’s support for armed groups and curb regional powers who back them. “It is too soon to judge what policy U.S. President-elect Donald Trump will have of Syria’s civil war, and a wise man has to correct the mistakes of the previous administration. What we want from the new administration is not just to stop support [for armed groups] but to curb those regional powers that are supporting those groups. We have to wait,” said Walid Al-Mualem, Syrian Foreign Minister.
The Syrian top diplomat also referred to a suggestion by UN Special Envoy to the war-torn-country, in which the rebels would receive an autonomous administration in the eastern part of Aleppo, stressing it violates the sovereignty of the Syrian government – a reality Damascus vehemently rejects. “He [U.N. special envoy to Syria, Staffan De Mistura] spoke about autonomous administration for the rebels’ eastern Aleppo. We told him this was completely rejected. This is a violation of our sovereignty,” added Al-Mualem.
The remarks by the Syrian foreign Minister came following a meeting he held with the UN Envoy to Syria Staffan De Mistura. During a press conference in Damascus, De Mistura emphasized he completely respected the principle of the national sovereignty of Syria, but stressed that Aleppo was a special case that had to be handled creatively through a temporary formula. “I respect the total principle which no one inside U.N. and outside the U.N. should put in doubt, of national sovereignty of Syria. On the other hand, Aleppo is a special case, eastern Aleppo is a special case and all this can be temporary but needs to be having a creative formula,” said De Mistura.
The raging battles in Aleppo continue to claim lives, as dozens of casualties were reported over the weekend. Syrian government forces continued to pound the rebel-held eastern part of the city; while clashes have been reported between Islamic State militants and government forces in the northeastern part of Aleppo. According to the World Health Organization, since Friday “all hospitals in the eastern part of Aleppo have fallen out of service, after days of heavy air strikes.”