On Wednesday 7 December, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, British, Italian, and Canadian Prime Ministers Theresa May, Matteo Renzi and Justin Trudeau, and French and US Presidents François Hollande and Barack Obama called for a ceasefire in Aleppo, Syria. Government forces now control nearly half of eastern Aleppo, to the detriment of the rebels.
"The urgent need now is for an immediate ceasefire to allow the United Nations to get humanitarian assistance to people in eastern Aleppo and to provide humanitarian relief to those who have fled eastern Aleppo", the European and North American leaders say in joint statement.
Stating that the "opposition" have agreed the UN’s 4-point plan for Aleppo – medical evacuations, provision of medicines and food, and a weak but constant rotation of doctors – the leaders urge the regime to apply these measures "urgently to alleviate the dire situation in Aleppo", and they "call on Russia and Iran to use their influence to help make this happen".
The leaders' joint statement is a condemnation of the "Syrian regime’s attacks that have devastated civilians and medical facilities and [of its] use of barrel bombs and chemical weapons" as well as of the "actions of the Syrian regime and its foreign backers, especially Russia, for their obstruction of humanitarian aid".
The leaders also show their powerlessness, stating that "Russia is blocking the UN Security Council, which is therefore unable to do its work and put an end to the atrocities". "The regime’s refusal to engage in a serious political process also highlights the unwillingness of both Russia and Iran to work for a political solution despite their assurances to the contrary", the leaders add. France, the UK and USA are permanent members of the Security Council, as are Russia and China.
The leaders furthermore threaten "individuals and entities that act for or on behalf of the Syrian regime" with further restrictive measures. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)