Syria’s Assad well aware of military gains in Aleppo – academic

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad is well aware of the gains the Syrian army has made on the ground in the flashpoint city of Aleppo, says an academic.

Nabil Mikhail, a professor at George Washington University, said in an interview with Press TV that the Syrian president would not have reacted positively to the UN initiative to freeze military operations in Aleppo, unless he knew “for sure that his troops are successful and have subjugated the insurgency in that geographical area.”

Mikhail also noted that Assad is studying his steps “very carefully,” adding that he has consulted with Russia about such initiatives.

President Assad said he is ready to study the United Nations’ initiative to “freeze” military operations in the northwestern city of Aleppo.

On October 30, the UN special envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, proposed an action plan for areas where Syrian forces are fighting Takfiri militants. He said the proposal includes “freeze zones” in Syria to allow deliveries of humanitarian aid, starting with the country’s largest city, Aleppo.

The academic also stated that there could be an Arab bloc to serve the regional interest, but such a group has to move in a way to “establish peace.”

He concluded by saying that “every bloc or nation should channel its effort through Geneva, and hopefully a peaceful outcome to the Syrian tragedy could emerge.”

Aleppo has been one of the main areas hit by fierce fighting between the government forces and foreign-backed militants.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Zeid al-Hussein has said that more than 200,000 people have died in the conflict in Syria since March 2011.