Russia says negotiating nationwide ceasefire in Syria

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia announced Friday, December 16 it was negotiating with the Syrian opposition and seeking a nationwide ceasefire, as the evacuation of civilians and fighters from the last rebel-held parts of Aleppo entered a second day, AFP reports.

President Vladimir Putin's intervention came as Russian drones and troops supervised the hard-won evacuation deal following a Western outcry over the Syrian army's operation to recapture the city.

Thousands of traumatised civilians boarded buses and ambulances in freezing temperatures as the operation continued through the night.

"The next step (after Aleppo) will be to reach agreement on a complete ceasefire across all of Syria," Putin said on the sidelines of a visit to Japan.

"We are actively negotiating with members of the armed opposition, with the mediation of Turkey."

Government ally Russia and rebel backer Turkey jointly brokered the deal that has seen thousands of people cram into buses, ambulances and pick-up trucks to flee the last pocket of rebel-held Aleppo since Thursday.

The evacuation deal, which will allow Syria's government to claim full control of the city after years of fighting, was expected to continue throughout Friday.

"It will continue all through today and for so long as there are people who want to leave," said International Committee of the Red Cross spokeswoman Ingy Sedky.

Initially, evacuees were leaving via single convoy of ambulances and green government buses that travelled back and forth between Aleppo and rebel-held territory in the west of the province.

But overnight, the vehicles began returning individually to collect more evacuees as soon as they had dropped off their passengers, Sedky said.

"That means it is difficult for us to know exactly how many people have left so far, but there will be an assessment by the end of the operation," she said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based monitor of the war, estimated some 8,500 people had left so far, including around 3,000 rebel fighters.

Syrian state media reported a figure of around 8,000.