<p>Syria's prime minister made a rare visit to the war-torn city of Aleppo on Monday (December 17) and pledged $4 million in aid, a state television station said.</p><br /><p>The visit was the first in months by a senior figure in the government of President Bashar al-Assad.</p><br /><p>The visit by Wael al-Halki, who took office after his predecessor Riad Hijab defected earlier this year, may be seen as an attempt to show the Syrian government still has a grasp on the country's largest city.</p><br /><p>Rebels control many districts in Aleppo since launching a campaign this summer, and most of the countryside surrounding the city is now in the hands of rebels pressing their 21-month-old revolt against Assad.</p><br /><p>Civilians in these areas have been facing huge hardship, with a constant shortage of food and fuel. Rebels and the government have traded blame for the lack of help to opposition-held areas, where clashes rage regularly and the army bombs with artillery and war planes.</p><br /><p>Syria TV quoted Halki offering 200 million Syrian lira ($2.6 million) in humanitarian aid and another 100 million lira ($1.3 million) for "basic necessities".<br /><br />"Aleppo is facing major difficulties, in terms of supplies like fuel and basic necessities," he said.</p><br /><p>No mention was made of the areas in Aleppo that Halki toured. Despite his high rank, the prime minister plays a minor role in Syria's autocratic government, led by the Assad family for four decades.</p><br /><p>Opposition activists say Assad's forces have blocked the entrance of fuel and food into rebel-held areas, as a form of collective punishment. Little aid has arrived from international aid groups.</p><br /><p>The International Committee for the Red Crescent and the World Food Program both use the local Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) to distribute aid.</p><br /><p>But SARC has been unable to operate in areas of heavy fighting. It also risks attack in rebel-held areas, as many in the opposition believe the group, whose leaders have ties to the government, is helping the army. SARC says it is committed to neutrality.</p><br /><p>Source: Reuters</p>
