The United Nations has criticized the conditions set by Syria for allowing aid to continue reaching rebel-held areas, describing them as "unacceptable," Al Jazeera reports.
Syria's ambassador to the UN announced that aid deliveries could continue through the Bab al-Hawa crossing from Turkey, following the failure of the UN Security Council to reach an agreement on keeping the border open. Approximately 4.1mn people in northwest Syria rely on these aid deliveries.
In a letter to the UN secretary-general, Syrian ambassador Bassam Sabbagh stated that the Syrian government had made a "sovereign decision" to permit aid to cross through Bab al-Hawa for the next six months. However, the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) expressed concerns about the proposal, citing two unacceptable conditions.
Firstly, the Syrian government insisted that the UN should not communicate with entities labeled as "terrorists." President Bashar al-Assad has frequently referred to rebel groups and opponents of his regime as terrorists. Secondly, the Syrian government required that the distribution of aid in northwest Syria be supervised and facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC). However, the OCHA pointed out that this condition was not practical since the ICRC and SARC were not present in the area.
Despite the concerns raised, the UN acknowledged that the Syrian government's offer could serve as a basis for lawfully conducting cross-border humanitarian operations through the Bab al-Hawa crossing. Earlier, Russia vetoed a nine-month extension to the UN-brokered agreement, with Russia and Syria arguing that the aid delivery mechanism violated Syria's sovereignty.
Russia failed to garner enough support for its proposed six-month extension, leading to a deadlock in the Security Council. The US, France, and the UK had advocated for a one-year extension and criticized Russia's veto as "an act of utter cruelty."
There are apprehensions that Syria's conditions may grant the government control over aid distribution, potentially impeding access to opposition-held areas. The UK ambassador expressed the need to prioritize the resumption of aid delivery to those in need while emphasizing the importance of UN monitoring.
The Bab al-Hawa crossing has become even more critical following a devastating earthquake in northwest Syria, which resulted in casualties and displacement. Although the Bab al-Hawa situation remains unresolved, the UN still has access to two additional aid crossings, which were opened with the Syrian government's consent until August 13th.
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