- Title: Eastern Aleppo council head says civilians, rebels to be evacuated early Wednesday
- Date: 13th December 2016
- Summary: PARIS, FRANCE (DECEMBER 13, 2016) (REUTERS) PRESIDENT OF THE EAST ALEPPO LOCAL COUNCIL BRITA HAGI HASAN DRINKING COFFEE BRITA HAGI HASAN SITTING BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PRESIDENT OF THE EAST ALEPPO LOCAL COUNCIL, BRITA HAGI HASAN, SAYING: "The last information I got from the ground indicate there is a short truce and the imminent departure of five buses evacuating civilians." HAGI HASAN SPEAKING AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PRESIDENT OF THE EAST ALEPPO LOCAL COUNCIL, BRITA HAGI HASAN, SAYING: "My responsibility as an elected representative is to protect the people of eastern Aleppo and so to encourage this initiative but unfortunately the guarantees that those civilians won't be arrested or killed by the regime are weak." (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) PRESIDENT OF THE EAST ALEPPO LOCAL COUNCIL, BRITA HAGI HASAN, SAYING: "The agreement includes the groups of fighters and the civilians" (translation) "and the number of people living in the area is 100,000" (translation) "but in fact my heart is at pain, full of emotion for having to ask for a complete evacuation of all civilians." NEWS CONFERENCE UNDERWAY VARIOUS OF NEWS CONFERENCE ENDING, BRITA HAGI HASAN AND OTHER MAN STANDING UP
- Embargoed: 28th December 2016 17:57
- Keywords: Eastern Aleppo Brita Hagi Hasan Syria
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- City: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Reuters ID: LVA0015CPYMO7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: The president of the East Aleppo local council said on Tuesday (December 13) a deal had been struck to evacuate civilians and rebel fighters from the besieged city to western Syria with the first buses expected to leave early tomorrow morning.
"The last information I got from the ground indicate there is a short truce and the imminent departure of five buses evacuating civilians," Brita Hagi Hasan told reporters in Paris.
He said the five buses would initially start taking people out of the city to safety from 0500 local time to the west of the country, but that rebel fighters remained distrustful that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces and Russia would implement their part of the bargain.
"My responsibility as an elected representative is to protect the people of eastern Aleppo and so to encourage this initiative but unfortunately the guarantees that those civilians won't be arrested or killed by the regime are weak," Hagi Hasan said.
Hasan said the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) would manage the process. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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