This is not meant as a defense of the despicable and bloodthirsty Assad, but it's a fact that arrangements where the rebels in the cities of Homs and Hama negotiated a surrender with Assad resulting in the transfer of combatants to a rebel-held area and civilians who wanted to leave to other safe areas have been successful. Assad did live up to the terms negotiated agreements (control of the cities matters most to him) and further suffering in the urban areas averted. Why cann't this happen in Aleppo? Any other pragmatic solutions? I understand that it's groups such as al-Nusra are the holdup.