UNITED NATIONS, United States, Dec 14, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – The UN Security
Council on Thursday approved a one-year extension of humanitarian aid
deliveries across war-scarred Syria.
The move came despite reluctance from Russia, which called to amend the
period to six months.
The United States along with the majority of the Council members, however,
approved the one-year extension, citing Syria’s dire need for humanitarian
supplies.
More than 4.3 million people need aid in areas not controlled by the
government, according to the United Nations.
That figure includes more than three million people who can only be reached
via cross-border operations.
During negotiations, Russian Deputy Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said
relief supplies were being seized by armed groups, subject to extortion at
checkpoints and had generated millions in monthly revenue for the rebels.
The authorization allows humanitarian organizations to cross borders after
simply notifying the government.
The US believes there is no credible alternative to such deliveries, and
has accused the regime of distributing aid unequally at the expense of
communities considered less loyal to Damascus during the eight-year conflict.
The first resolution on cross-border aid was adopted unanimously in 2014.
Aid operations in Syria, the UN’s largest relief effort, have continued
despite little progress by UN diplomats to end the war.
Syria’s war has so far killed more than 360,000 people and displaced
millions.