UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st December, 2019) The members of the United Nations Security Council failed on Friday to reach an agreement on two dueling resolutions to let humanitarian aid continue flowing into Syria, putting the future of such deliveries in doubt.
Starting on January 10, 2020, when the current resolution allowing such deliveries expires, the United Nations will no longer be able to enter the Arab republic with aid.
UN Security Council Resolution 2165 was adopted in 2014 and established four border crossings � two from Turkey, one from Jordan and one from Iraq � to deliver humanitarian aid into the conflict-stricken areas of Syria. The resolution has been extended yearly, with updates according to shifting battle lines in Syria.
Russia had submitted a draft resolution asking the Security Council to keep the two crossing points from Turkey open while closing the Jordanian and Iraqi border points, which both Moscow and Damascus have warned are being exploited by terrorist groups.
The Russian resolution received support from five member states, while six members rejected the draft and four abstained. The document therefore was not adopted, having failed to obtain the required nine votes.
Russian Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia, in his statement after the vote, expressed sincere regret over the results.
"My question is rhetorical: who won today? Nobody. Who lost? Those who lost are the Syrian people," Nebenzia pointed out. "Do not attempt to shift blame for this on us."
The so-called Humanitarian Troika comprised of Belgium, Germany and Kuwait had prepared its own rival draft resolution to extend the aid delivery mechanism for a year and add one cross-border point to the existing four. But later, in an attempt to build a compromise, the Troika revised its draft to call for allowing aid deliveries at only three border points for six months: two at the border with Turkey, and one with Jordan.
Russia vetoed the draft, and China also voted against it, while the remaining 13 member states of the UN's body supported it.
US Permanent Representative Kelly Craft, in her closing remarks as the current president of the Security Council, said negotiations on the mechanism would continue throughout the Christmas holidays until a satisfactory agreement is reached.
"Regardless of the outcomes of these votes today, it is clear that there is a commitment from this council to help the Syrian people and to save lives," she added.
Belgium, Germany and Kuwait reaffirmed Craft's statement adding that all council's members should continue prioritizing humanitarian issues in the war-torn country.
"We will keep on working to this end and then call on all Security Council members to uphold their responsibilities and to take action," German Permanent Representative to the United Nations Christoph Heusgen told reporters. "The Syrian people are counting on us."
The Syrian conflict has resulted in more than 6 million internally displaced people, many of whom rely on humanitarian assistance. �
