MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd December, 2019) US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Saturday accused Russia and China of having "blood on your hands" after they vetoed a rival UN draft resolution on cross-border relief aid deliveries to Syrians.
"The Russian Federation's and China's veto yesterday of a Security Council resolution that allows for humanitarian aid to reach millions of Syrians is shameful," he wrote in a statement.
The US-backed resolution put forward by Germany, Kuwait and Belgium proposed preserving for another year three points for cross-border aid deliveries. Russia's offer to continue shipping aid through two cross-border points for another six months was equally defeated.
Pompeo slammed Russia and China for choosing to make a political statement and argued that by opposing the troika's resolution, "you have blood on your hands." He promised that Washington would continue helping the hungry.
A UN resolution, adopted in 2014, established four border crossings for Syria aid deliveries � two from Turkey, one from Jordan and one from Iraq � and identified routes that relief workers must take to reach certain populated areas in Syria.
The resolution has been extended annually. But, as the situation on the ground has changed in recent years, Russia has become increasingly concerned about who is getting the aid. Its UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, said last year that the document was outdated and was used to politicize relief aid by favoring some groups over others. �
