US, Russia working on plan as Assad forces advance in Aleppo

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said on Dec. 8 he was "hopeful" about reaching an agreement with Russia over the Syrian city of Aleppo as government forces continued their advance in the city. 

"We're working on something here," Kerry told reporters after meeting Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at an Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) conference in Hamburg. 

Asked if he was confident about a breakthrough, Kerry said he was not confident, but "hopeful." 

The Kremlin said on Dec. 7 that a potential U.S.-Russia deal to allow Syrian rebels to safely leave Aleppo was still on the agenda, amid calls from the rebels in the city for a cease-fire.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, meanwhile, said victory for his forces in Aleppo would be a "huge step" in ending Syria's war.

Despite pleas from Western countries and the United Nations, al-Assad also rejected talk of a cease-fire in Aleppo.

In a wide-ranging interview with Syrian daily al-Watan, al-Assad was confident of victory in Aleppo, though he admitted retaking the city would not end the country's conflict entire-ly.

"It's true that Aleppo will be a win for us," al-Assad said.

"Let's be realistic - it won't mean the end of the war in Syria," al-Assad said. "But it will be a huge step toward this end."

Regime forces have retaken about 80 percent of former rebel territory in Aleppo since launching an all-out offensive three weeks ago to recapture Syria's second city.

After a highly symbolic retreat from Aleppo's Old City, the rebels on Dec. 7 called for a five-day cease-fire to allow for the evacuation of thousands of civilians still in opposition-held territory.

But al-Assad's government has...