US sceptical on Russia humanitarian operation

The United States is trying to determine whether a Russian plan for a humanitarian operation in Syria is sincere, Secretary of State John Kerry said yesterday, adding that if it proves a “ruse” it could ruin co-operation between Moscow and Washington.
The 250,000 civilians trapped for weeks inside the besieged rebel-held sector of Aleppo have so far stayed away from “safe corridors” that Moscow and Damascus promised for those trying to escape the most important opposition stronghold in the country.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government and its Russian allies declared a joint humanitarian operation for the besieged area on Thursday, bombarding it with leaflets telling fighters to surrender and civilians to leave.
The United Nations has raised misgivings about the plan and US officials have suggested it may be an attempt to depopulate the city so that the army can seize it.
The Syrian opposition called it a euphemism for forced displacement of the inhabitants, which it said would be a war crime.
Aleppo, Syria’s biggest city before the war, has been divided since 2012 into government and rebel sectors.
Seizing control would be the biggest victory for Assad in five years of fighting, and demonstrate the dramatic shift of fortunes in his favour since Moscow joined the war on his side last year.
This would also be a humiliation for Kerry, who has led a diplomatic initiative with Moscow aiming to let the Cold War superpower foes co-operate against Islamist militants and restore a ceasefire for the wider civil war which collapsed in May.
Asked about the Russian operation, Kerry said Washington was still unsure of Moscow’s intent: “It has the risk, if it is a ruse, of completely breaking apart the level of co-operation.”
“On the other hand, if we’re able to work it out today and have a complete understanding of what is happening and then agreement on the way forward, it could actually open up some possibilities,” he added.
Kerry said he had spoken with Moscow twice in the past 24 hours to try to clarify what the Russians were planning.
The fate of Aleppo in the coming weeks has the potential to be a turning point in a seemingly endless, multi-sided civil war that has killed hundreds of thousands of people, driven millions from their homes and drawn in most world and regional powers.
Pro-government forces with Russian backing have advanced in the three months since the ceasefire collapsed, and imposed a siege on the rebel-held sector of Aleppo since early July when they closed the main road out of the city.