The United Nations said on Thursday it was talking to Russia about a “workable humanitarian pause” in fighting in Aleppo and that three hours a day was “not enough” to help up to two million civilians trapped in the divided Syrian city. “Today in the meeting the Russian delegation confirmed their willingness to sit down with us (Thursday and Friday) to try to agree on a workable humanitarian pause for us to go the Aleppo road way to help the poor people of east as well as in the west,” U.N. humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland told reporters. The U.N. wants a 48-hour weekly halt to the violence in order to deliver large amounts of food and other aid and to evacuate the sick and wounded. Egeland, speaking after chairing a weekly meeting of the humanitarian task force composed of major and regional powers, was referring to the Castello road, the main supply route into the rebel-held east, cut off by the Syrian government. But if it did take place, it is a war crime.”

Source: Indian Express August 11, 2016 14:26 UTC