West pushes Syria, Russia for ceasefire in Aleppo

WASHINGTON — Canada and five other Western powers called Wednesday for an immediate ceasefire in the Syrian city of Aleppo and accused Russia of blocking efforts to halt the bloodshed.

In a joint statement, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the leaders of the U.S., Britain, Germany, Italy and France demanded that Syria’s government address the humanitarian crisis by allowing United Nations aid in to eastern Aleppo. They said the UN should investigate reports of war crimes committed in Syria.

“We condemn the actions of the Syrian regime and its foreign backers, especially Russia, for their obstruction of humanitarian aid,” the leaders said, adding that hospitals and schools appeared to have been targeted “in an attempt to wear people down.”

The display of diplomatic unity appeared intended to build support for a five-day ceasefire for eastern Aleppo in hopes of allowing civilians to flee as rebel forces — besieged and facing certain defeat — debated withdrawal from their shattered stronghold.

The army and allied militiamen now hold three-quarters of east Aleppo, four years after the area fell from government control.

“Diplomacy has not delivered for the people of Aleppo, that’s for sure,” U.S. Ambassador to the UN Samantha Power said Wednesday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group, said forces allied to Syrian President Bashar Assad took over the Old City after rebels withdrew into the remains of their territory.

Sources within the armed opposition said negotiations involving full withdrawal from what was once the rebels’ most important stronghold are underway.

More than 730 people have been killed in Aleppo since the start of a Nov. 15 government offensive and 80,000 have fled, the Syrian Observatory said Wednesday.

Inside what remains of the rebel enclave, a growing humanitarian crisis is unfolding. Amid the blistering bombardment, thousands of residents now shelter inside abandoned apartment blocks.

Food has almost run out, and fuel stocks are so low rescue workers say they are often unable to reach the wounded. Photographs from the area Wednesday showed several bodies piled outside a hospital.