UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 11th January, 2020) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres took note of the renewal by the Security Council of the cross-border humanitarian aid delivery mechanism into Syria and will do everything possible to examine the feasibility of opening a third checkpoint, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.
On Friday, the members of the Security Council adopted a resolution, drafted by Germany and Belgium, which reauthorizes cross-border deliveries via two crossings in Turkey until July 10, 2020. It also requests Guterres to report by the end of February on the possibility of alternative modalities for the border crossing Al Yarubiyah from Iraq, eliminated under the new document.
"The Secretary-General takes note of the Security Council's decision today to continue the cross-border mechanism in northwest Syria for six months ... The Secretary-General, supported by the Secretariat and the UN humanitarian agencies, will do everything possible to respond to the Security Council's request," Dujarric said on Friday.
The cross-border assistance was established in 2014 and has since been renewed every year. On December 20, the Security Council failed to reach an agreement and extend the delivery mechanism into the Arab republic, which authorization was about to expire on January 10. The members of the Security Council disagreed over the number of checkpoints for assistance delivery and the length of the extension period.
Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia argued that the UN Security Council's 2014 resolution was outdated and used to politicize relief aid by favoring some groups over others.
