extended Syria Allowing the United Nations to enter humanitarian aid from Turkey through two border crossings to areas outside its control in the north for a period of 3 months, according to a spokeswoman for the international organization, Tuesday.
“We strongly welcome the extension by the Government of Syria of permission to use the Bab al-Salama and al-Rai border crossings until 13 November,” said Eri Kaneko, spokeswoman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in New York.
A week after a devastating earthquake struck Syria and neighboring Turkey on February 6, killing more than 55,000 people in the two countries, Damascus allowed the United Nations to use the two crossings to bring in humanitarian aid until May 13.
This came after criticism from residents and local relief organizations regarding the slow pace of the United Nations in delivering aid through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey to the affected people in areas outside the control of Damascus.
After that, Damascus renewed allowing the entry of aid through the two crossings for a period of 3 months, ending on the 13th of this month.
The official Syrian News Agency (SANA) quoted Syria’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Bassam Sabbagh, as saying that the decision “comes out of Syria’s keenness to enhance stability (…) and to continue its efforts to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need in all Syrian regions.”
Despite Syria’s announcement to allow the entry of aid through the Bab al-Hawa crossing, the United Nations condemned Syria’s conditions, describing them as unacceptable.
Damascus stipulated full coordination with the Syrian government and not communicating with “terrorist organizations”, referring to Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, the jihadi faction formerly affiliated with al-Qaeda, which practically controls the crossing.
On Tuesday, United Nations spokesman Farhan Haq said that the UN body is in contact with Damascus on ways to move forward with regard to the Bab al-Hawa crossing.
He added, in a statement to reporters, “We are working with the Syrian government to solve any problem. At this stage, we are basically ready to resume aid deliveries.”
The two crossings are currently the only gate for aid to enter northern and northwestern Syria, after the failure of the UN Security Council last month to renew the mechanism for bringing aid through the Bab al-Hawa crossing (Idlib), which is the main artery supplying millions of people in northwestern Syria with vital aid.
Moscow, Damascus’ most prominent backer, used its veto power to prevent the extension of the mandate for nine months. However, during the same session, it submitted an alternative proposal to extend it by 6 months, which was rejected by the Council, with the United Nations, humanitarian workers, and the majority of Council members insisting on the need to extend the mechanism for at least one year to allow for better organization of aid and ensure its delivery to those who deserve it.
A mechanism established in 2014 allowed the United Nations to deliver humanitarian aid to residents of areas outside government control in northwestern Syria without obtaining the approval of Damascus, which denounces the mechanism as a “violation” of its sovereignty.
About 3 million people, most of whom are displaced, live in areas under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly al-Nusra) in Idlib governorate, while 1.1 million reside in areas under the control of pro-Ankara Syrian factions in northern Aleppo.
The majority of the residents of those areas crowded with camps for the displaced need urgent assistance after years of conflict, economic collapse, disease outbreaks and increasing poverty exacerbated by the earthquake.
France 24/AFP
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2023-08-09 01:02:08
