US Ambassador Robert Ford is said to be meeting with the Islamic Front tomorrow. The Assad regime complained to the UN that the Al Nusrah Front and the Islamic Front killed over 100 Syrians in the Damascus suburb of Adra last week. Rebel fighters are seeking to lift the siege of Eastern Ghouta. Recent regime airstrikes in rebel-held areas of Aleppo have reportedly killed over 100 people. Russia told the UN Security Council that the Aug. 21 chemical weapons attack in Ghouta was a provocation “staged” by the Syrian opposition; on Dec. 13, Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said whoever perpetrated the attacks should be held accountable. Russia offered to provide warships to escort vessels carrying chemical weapons out of Syria for destruction. Italy offered the use of a port for the transfer of Syrian chemical weapons between ships. The UN plans to lobby nations for $6.5 billion in humanitarian aid for Syria; some wealthy countries, such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have not donated to the UN for Syria, and China’s donation has been very small.
