On Sunday, November 20, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Muallem during the concluding press conference of the meeting with UN special envoy for Syria said that Damascus could not accept his proposal to grant autonomy to eastern Aleppo.
According to Reuters, the head of the Syrian Foreign Ministry said that the adoption of the proposal was "totally unacceptable." He also stressed that any attempts to recognize the autonomy of eastern Aleppo would be in violation of the country's sovereignty.
In turn, in an interview with AFP de Mistura said that his proposal was motivated by "heavy fighting" and no humanitarian or political initiatives in Aleppo. He also noted the high level of concern of the world community about the situation in the eastern part of the city, which was cut off from the humanitarian aid, as well as the bombing on the residential areas of the city controlled by the opposition.
However, in spite of all his empty statements and hypocritical propositions, de Mistura never mentioned that the terrorists of the so-called "moderate" opposition conduct daily attacks against civilian targets: schools, hospitals, markets. They usually attack the most crowded places. Radicals tried to turn humanitarian corridors organized by the government and its allies into a profitable business, demanding 150,000 lyras (about $300) from everyone who wants to leave dangerous areas. The inhabitants of the besieged city simply don't have such money.
The latest statement of de Mistura shows that he is interested in supporting opposition groups. Against the background of government forces' success in Aleppo the proposal seems attractive only for the militants and terrorists from various groups. If eastern Aleppo becomes autonomy, the radicals will be able to feel like rightful "lords".
The proposal is mainly aimed at stopping the government offensive by exploiting legal matters during the negotiations to prolong the armed conflict and to disrupt Syrians' faith in their army, which can achieve a military victory over the rebels. The success in Aleppo is a key to the victory and to a ceasefire.
Making such a proposal, UN special envoy once again forced many political experts to doubt his adequacy and impartiality. It is no surprise that the petition for de Mistura's resignation published on change.org was signed by more than 16,000 people.
