Syrians Reject Any Form of Federalism in Country - National Coalition Member

The Syrians reject any form of federalism, as it could lead to the segmentation of the country, a member of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition forces, Nassir Hariri, told Sputnik on Monday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Hariri was commenting on the proposal that was put forward by UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura during a meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Muallem in Aleppo earlier in the day, on the possibility of creating a self-administration in the eastern districts of the northern city of Aleppo.

Muallim told reporters following the meeting with de Mistura that the "idea has been completely rejected" since it undermines Syrian sovereignty.

"We as Syrians refuse any form of federalism or any plan that could lead to division… One of our sacred principles is to maintain the unity of Syria and the unity of the Syrian people," Hariri said.

Over the past few months, Aleppo has seen intense fighting, with the government troops along with local militias managing to encircle large groups of militants in the eastern part of the city. The ongoing violence has already affected thousands of civilians still trapped in the city.