New UN proposal: aid to Syria from a passage from Turkey

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UNITED NATIONS (PA) – A UN resolution proposed Wednesday evening would allow the delivery of humanitarian aid to rebel-held northwest Syria via a single crossing point from Turkey for a year after objections to a initial project of the Security Council which would have authorized the sending of aid through two border crossings.

Last week, Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said that the initial proposal by Ireland and Norway to reopen the Al-Yaroubiya crossing point between Iraq and northeastern Syria, which is mainly controlled by the Kurds was “a failure”. Russia skipped consultations on the project on Tuesday, and diplomats said China formally opposed the text with two crossings earlier on Wednesday.

The Security Council approved four border crossings when aid deliveries began in 2014, three years after the start of the Syrian conflict. But in January 2020, Russia, which is Syria’s closest ally, first used its council veto threat to limit aid deliveries to two border posts in the northwest, then last July to reduce the number to a single passage through Bab al-Hawa. from Turkey northwest of Idlib.

Diplomats said the new draft resolution would keep the Bab al-Hawa crossing open for another year, which the UN, the United States, many Western countries and humanitarian organizations deem essential.

Acting UN humanitarian chief Ramesh Rajasingham told the Security Council at the end of June that failure to extend Bab al-Hawa’s mandate “would disrupt life-saving aid to 3.4 million people in need in the northwest, of which millions are among the most vulnerable in Syria. . “

The 15 council members have until Thursday morning to oppose the new draft, council diplomats said, speaking on condition of anonymity as the consultations were private. The UN mandate for using the Bab al-Hawa crossing point ends on Saturday, and the council is expected to vote on a cross-border resolution on Friday, they said.

Two weeks ago, Nebenzia told the Security Council that aid crossing conflict lines in Syria “is the only legitimate option for a humanitarian operation to deliver aid.” He accused Western countries of wasting the past year that could have been used “to find a transparent and constructive solution and an optimal balance of Idlib purchases through Bab al-Hawa and national channels”.

Nebenzia also said that the sanctions from the United States and the European Union imposed “a heavy burden” on every Syrian, saying: “You denounce humanitarian access while claiming that the problem of suffocating Syria with sanctions do not exist.

China said on Tuesday it wanted the Security Council to not only expand humanitarian aid deliveries to Syria from neighboring countries, but address the impact of Western sanctions and the need to expand. deliveries across conflict lines, difficult demands within days of Bab al-Hawa’s tenure ends.

Chinese Ambassador Zhang Jun told reporters after the council’s closed-door discussions on Tuesday that he hoped “with more diplomatic efforts, we can find a solution” – not just on cross-border aid.

“For China, we certainly want to see a solution regarding unilateral sanctions, regarding cross-border lines, regarding trans-border transparency. Not just talking about cross-border, but the general situation in Syria, ”said Zhang.

In early July 2020, China and Russia vetoed a UN resolution that would have kept two border crossings from Turkey to the northwest. A few days later, under pressure from both countries, the council authorized the delivery of aid only through Bab an-Hawa.

US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield warned after Tuesday’s board meeting that Bab al-Hawa “is a lifeline for millions” in Idlib and if the crossing is closed, “I think the repercussions are obvious: people will starve “.

The United States initially called for three border crossings to Syria, but Thomas-Greenfield told reporters: “We cannot accept less than what we have today, and this is a border crossing for 12 months. which provides support to millions of Syrians.

It remains to be seen whether Russia and China will agree to keep Baba al-Hawa open for another year.

French Ambassador Nicolas De Rivi̬re, the current chairman of the council, has warned that while deliveries of humanitarian aid are only allowed across conflict lines Рand not from neighboring countries РWestern countries which provide 92 % of humanitarian aid will stop funding.

Edith M. Lederer, The Associated Press

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