Direct link to article... [littlegreenfootballs.com]
The Syrian government Friday said it had presented plans to its Russian allies for a cease-fire in the northern city of Aleppo and an exchange of prisoners with the opposition in advance of peace talks next week in Switzerland.The announcement in Moscow by Walid Moallem, the Syrian foreign minister, appeared to be a significant development in advance of possibly landmark peace talks slated to begin Wednesday in the Swiss city of Montreux.
The proposals would also seem to put the government of President Bashar Assad -- whom the opposition has been fighting to topple -- at the center of the cease-fire plan.
U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, this week called on both sides in the protracted conflict to work toward a limited cease-fire, a prisoner exchange and improved access for humanitarian aid in advance of next week's meeting.
More: Syrian Regime Submits Plan for Truce, Prisoner Swap