Damascus' Request to End Cross-Border Humanitarian Aid Must Be Taken Into Account - Moscow

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 23rd December, 2019) The international community must take into account Damascus' request to halt the cross-border delivery of humanitarian aid to Syria, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday in a statement, commenting on a recently vetoed UN Security Council resolution on the matter.

On Friday, Russia and China vetoed a Security Council resolution, proposed by Germany, Belgium and Kuwait, that would have extended the authorization for cross-border humanitarian aid deliveries to Syria. Russia proposed another draft resolution on the same matter, which included a shorter mandate and less checkpoints, but it did not gain the nine votes needed to pass. As a result, the shipments will cease on January 10.

"The Syrian government has officially appealed to the United Nations to stop the cross-border humanitarian assistance.

As part of its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and the territorial integrity of Syria, the international community must take into account and respect this appeal by the Syrian authorities," the statement read.

The cross-border assistance mechanism allows humanitarian aid to be delivered through UN-approved checkpoints without the formal permission of the Syrian government. It was established in 2014 and has since been renewed every year. However, when considering next year's extension on Friday, the Security Council was unable to reach on consensus on the number of checkpoints. Russia advocated for two on the Syria-Turkey border and a mandate of only for six months. Belgium, Kuwait and Germany wanted to keep the one-year extension, and preserve two checkpoints on Syria's border with Turkey and one on its border with Iraq.