Govt agrees to UN fact-finding mission

The United Nations envoy to Syria is sending a mission to the contested city of Aleppo to determine the situation on the ground and help ensure that humanitarian aid can reach civilians in need if a local truce is reached, the UN said on Sunday.

The envoy, Staffan de Mistura, is in Damascus for talks with Syrian officials to try to arrange a "freeze" in fighting in Aleppo, which has been divided into government-held and rebel-held districts since mid-2012. He envisions a local truce as the first step toward a wider easing of hostilities, although his plan has been greeted with skepticism by activists, analysts and the opposition.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said de Mistura will continue talks with President Bashar al-Assad's government to try to implement the truce.