Syrian rebel forces in Aleppo on Sunday rejected U.N. envoy Staffan de Mistura's plan for a freeze in fighting in the divided northern city, dealing a blow to his peace efforts.
"We refuse to meet with Mr. Staffan de Mistura if it is not on the basis of a comprehensive solution to Syria's drama through the exit of (President) Bashar Assad and his chief of staff, and the prosecution of war criminals," a newly-formed Aleppo revolutionary commission said.
The political and military grouping was set up on Saturday at a meeting in the Turkish border town of Kilis attended by exiled coalition chief Khaled Khoja, other opposition figures and Aleppo civil society representatives.
De Mistura's proposal "falls short of an initiative to resolve the humanitarian crisis of our people targeted by the regime's use of chemical weapons and barrel bombs prohibited by the international community," it said in a statement.
Aleppo's opposition forces also turned down preferential treatment for their region over other areas of Syria stricken by the country's deadly conflict since 2011.