French Foreign Minister Jean--Marc Ayrault Wednesday urged the United Nations to send observers in eastern Aleppo to ensure evacuation of civilians and rebel insurgents.

France called for UN observers' presence on the ground so as to guarantee the evacuation of the civilian population, Ayrault said in an interview with state-run France 2 TV.

Following a ceasefire brokered by Moscow and Ankara, rebel fighters on Dec. 13, agreed to quit Aleppo eastern area, with the evacuation due to begin earlier on Wednesday.

The situation in Aleppo has worsened rapidly after a truce accord collapsed in September, triggering an international outcry to stop hostilities in the strategically-located Syrian city which has been contested by the government forces and the rebels since 2012.

source: Xinhua