Rebel says Russia backtracked on Aleppo proposal
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BEIRUT - A Syrian rebel official accused Russia on Monday of backtracking from a US-backed proposal for rebel fighters and civilians to leave eastern Aleppo with Moscow guaranteeing them safe passage.
US and Russian officials met in Geneva over the weekend to discuss the crisis in Aleppo, where rebels are being squeezed out of their territory by a rapid Syrian army advance which has displaced thousands of civilians. No announcement was made after the meetings.
Zakaria Malahifji, an official in the Aleppo-based Fastaqim rebel group, told Reuters from Turkey on Monday the United States and Russia had come up with the draft proposal offering rebels an "honorable" exit, but Russia then backtracked from it.
The Fastaqim group is part of the nationalist opposition Free Syrian Army alliance which has received military aid from countries opposed to Syrian President Bashar Assad, notably Turkey, Saudi Arabia and the United States.
