Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said he will study a UN proposal for "local ceasefires" in the war-ravaged northern city of Aleppo, BBC reported.
The UN's Syria mediator Staffan de Mistura had called for "freeze zones" to halt fighting and improve aid.
Assad's office said it was "worth studying" to return security to Aleppo.
Syria's civil war has hit Aleppo hard. It is split into rebel and government-controlled areas and has seen regular air raids, killing many civilians.
de Mistura conveyed the ideas to Assad during talks in the Syrian capital, Damascus, in the envoy's second visit to the country since his appointment in July.
The state news agency Sana quoted Assad's office as saying that the president "considered the de Mistura initiative worth studying and trying to work on in order to attain its aims to return security to the city of Aleppo."
Local ceasefires or "incremental freeze zones" have had some effect in other areas of Syria and de Mistura earlier indicated Aleppo would be a good candidate.
