A recent proposal by United Nations' special envoy to Syria Staffan De Mistura to establish an autonomous administration in rebel-held Aleppo has been rejected by Damascus, Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem said Sunday. "This was completely rejected. ... This is a violation of our sovereignty," he said in a televised news conference after holding talks with De Mistura in the Syrian capital on Sunday. De Mistura also reportedly proposed to send a U.N. verification team to Aleppo to assess the damage in hospitals in the battered province. "Since we do have a difference of opinion between the minister, Muallem, saying there is a total denial of any aerial bombing of hospitals in eastern Aleppo, and our point of view that indicates that there have been tragic bombing of hospital in eastern Aleppo and elsewhere, frankly, then perhaps we should be allowed to send a verification team ... to verify the damage of the hospitals in both east and west Aleppo," De Mistura said. Also on Sunday, Muallem said Damascus hopes U.S. President-elect Donald Trump would end his country's support of the rebels trying to unseat Syrian President Bashar Assad. It is too soon to judge what policy U.S. Trump would have on Syria's civil war, but Damascus hopes he will end support for armed groups and curb regional powers who back them, Muallem said. "What we want from the new administration is not just to stop support [for armed groups] ... but to curb those regional powers that are supporting those groups ... we have to wait," he said.
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Top Syrian official shoots down east Aleppo autonomous zone
Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem reportedly rejects bid by United Nations' special envoy to Syria Staffan De Mistura that could end fighting in rebel-held province • Damascus hopes new U.S. administration would end its support of the rebels.