An agreement was reached yesterday Monday between the 15 member states of the UN Security Council in order to extend for six months the mechanism for granting humanitarian aid to the Idlib province of Syria through Turkey, as sought by Russia, while the West wanted the extension to reach one time.
Typically, this system was terminated yesterday Sunday.
“Russia imposed what it wanted on everyone: either the crossing would be closed, or its operation would be extended for six months” and “we could not let the world die,” the diplomat summed up, speaking to AFP, under the condition that be named.
A vote is expected to be held soon in order to confirm the extension of the operation of this mechanism and to foresee its renewal in January for another six months, provided that a new decision of the SA is adopted, other diplomats clarified.
This solution allows the UN to resume using the Bab al-Hawa crossing, on the Turkey-Syria border. A few hours earlier, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had appealed to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to give his approval to extend the mechanism.
Yesterday’s agreement at the UN means the de facto adoption of Moscow’s proposal, submitted late last week, without any substantial changes. That proposal was rejected on Friday in a Security Council vote: it was supported only by Moscow and Beijing, while the US, the UK and France voted against and the ten non-permanent member states abstained.
The new draft resolution, drawn up by Ireland and Norway, calls for a report by the UN Secretary-General on humanitarian needs by December 10 and also for Antonio Guterres to present reports on the implementation of the mechanism, such as and that which allows for the delivery of humanitarian aid through Damascus.
“Our plan will be adopted with a slight modification,” Russia’s deputy ambassador to the UN, Dmitry Polyansky, told AFP. Moscow vetoed on Friday a draft Western resolution supported by other member states that would have extended the mechanism for a year.
flying blind
“We will adopt the decision” confirming the deal in the Security Council for six months, an influential country ambassador said on condition of anonymity. The unity of the ten non-permanent member states played an important role in changing the stance of the US-Britain-France triad, countries that also have the right to veto.
For any decision to be adopted by the SA, it needs to receive at least nine out of fifteen votes and no negative vote from any of the five permanent member states (USA, Britain, France, Russia, China).
According to Richard Gowan, a UN expert at the International Crisis Group think tank, “the war in Ukraine has complicated the negotiations on Syria this year.” “The collapse of the Russian-American bilateral channels” forces the member states of the Security Council to “fly blindly” to find consensus, he explained speaking to AFP.
The mechanism came into effect in 2014 and allowed humanitarian aid to be delivered through the Bab al-Hawa crossing on the Syria-Turkey border to more than 2.4 million people living in Idlib province, which is controlled by jihadist organizations and rebels.
In the past, its operation has sometimes been extended for only six months, although this length of time complicates the planning of aid.
The decision that is expected to be adopted also envisages intensifying efforts for water supply, sanitation, health, education, electrification, housing reconstruction.
The West, which has so far refused to back any start to rebuilding Syria as long as no political reform is advanced, appears to be loosening its grip on the issue, crucial for Moscow as Syrian President Bashar al-Assad seeks to return on the international stage.
In recent weeks, dozens of NGOs and UN officials have called for a one-year extension of the mechanism for granting humanitarian aid through Turkey, which had already been significantly reduced in recent years at the initiative – and with 17 vetoes – of Russia, the main supporter of Damascus. , which it considers to be violating Syrian national sovereignty.
SOURCE: AMPE
Source: Capital
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