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Russia has unilaterally announced 8-hour pause in Aleppo

A longer "humanitarian pause" will require some "mutual agreements," Russia’s ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said

UN, October 18. /TASS/. Russia has unilaterally announced a 8-hour ceasefire in the Syrian city of Aleppo on October 20, but a longer "humanitarian pause" will require some "mutual agreements," Russia’s ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin said after a closed-door meeting of the UN Security Council. 

"We announced the 8-hour (ceasefire) unilaterally. I think that a longer pause, for instance a 48-hour or 72-hour (truce), will require some mutual agreements," the diplomat said. 

On Monday, Chief of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of Russia’s Armed Forces Sergey Rudskoy said that on October 20, the Russian and Syrian military would impose humanitarian pause in fighting in Aleppo for the passage of civilians and the withdrawal of militants to the district of Idlib. For this purpose eight humanitarian corridors will be formed, including six ones for civilians. 

The Russia s General Staff also said that together with the UN and countries which have influence on the Jabhat al-Nusra terrorist group (banned in Russia), it is working on the withdrawal of militants from Aleppo. 

According to Rudskoy, coordination between Russia and Syria may take a long time, so Russia’s Defense Ministry decided to hold "humanitarian pauses" "for the free passage of civilians, evacuation of the wounded and sick, as well as the withdrawal of militants."