Staffan de Mistura, the UN envoy for Syria, has met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, pushing for the implementation of a UN plan including local truces.

A statement from Assad's office following Monday's meeting said the president was ready to study a proposal to "freeze" fighting in the northern city of Aleppo.

"President Assad has been informed by de Mistura of the main points of his initiative," said the statement.

"[Assad] said it was worthy of study and that work on it is needed ... in order to re-establish security in Aleppo."

It is De Mistura's second visit to Syria since he was appointed to his position in July.

On October 30, the Italian-Swedish envoy put forward an "action plan" for Syria that proposed to "freeze" fighting in local areas to allow for aid deliveries, and to lay the groundwork for peace talks.

'Importance of Aleppo'

According to the Syrian presidency's Facebook page, Assad emphasised "the importance of Aleppo," which rebels and the army have been fighting over since July 2012.

State news agency SANA, meanwhile, quoted de Mistura as saying he was determined to ensure that his mission succeeds.

The city is split into rebel- and army-held areas and the envoy had previously said Aleppo would be a "good candidate" to become a "freeze" zone.

Since December 2013, regime warplanes have carried out near daily air raids targeting rebel-held districts of what was once Syria's economic capital, reportedly killing mostly civilians and defying a UN Security Council ban on such strikes.

During his three-day visit, de Mistura was also scheduled to meet opposition figures tolerated by the government to present his new initiative on halting fighting in specific areas accross the country.

Pro-regime daily Al-Watan reported that de Mistura would also travel to the city of Homs to meet opposition groups and UN personnel stationed in the al-Waer neighbourhood.

Al Jazeera