The United Nations faces “a problem” in shipping humanitarian aid into Syria, the U.N. envoy for the war-torn country said Thursday, pinning the blame on the lack of authorization from Bashar Assad’s government that has even disappointed Russian Federation, the Syrian president’s key backer.
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Meanwhile, Russia on Thursday accused Washington of failing to meet its obligations under the Syria ceasefire agreement, while criticizing USA officials for voicing skepticism over cooperation with Moscow. Moscow wants the U.N. Security Council to endorse the agreement when it meets next Wednesday, according to Ambassador Vitaly Churkin.
US State Department spokesman Mark Toner on Wednesday acknowledged problems but said, “We’ve seen violations by both sides”.
The reason for the hold-up appeared to be the continuing presence of some troops from both the Syrian government and the rebel side on the Castello road, a key thoroughfare leading from the besieged city of Aleppo to the border with Turkey, where a convoy of lorries loaded with vital supplies were waiting to cross over into Syria.
Syria’s state news agency SANA said opposition fighters opened fire at a location along the Castello Road that was being prepared for Red Crescent representatives, and two people guarding the area were wounded.
“The Russian Federation is agreeing with us”, he said. Kerry and Lavrov are expected to attend, diplomats said.
The Russians accused rebels of violating the cease-fire and Konashenkov said that “only the Syrian military is observing the truce”. “At the same time, the “moderate opposition” led by the USA is increasing the amount of attacks on residential districts”, Konashenkov said according to Sky News.
Russian Federation wants the U.N. Security Council to endorse the Syrian cease-fire agreement that it brokered together with the United States.
A nationwide ceasefire, the latest bid to end a five-year conflict that has killed thousands of people, came into effect on Monday at 7.00pm local time. The ceasefire has largely held despite accusations made by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s army and rebel groups of multiple breaks.
The ceasefire deal that went into force at sunset on Monday calls for the demilitarisation of the Castello road, and Moscow had earlier said the Syrian army would start pulling back at 0600 GMT (10am UAE time) on Thursday.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported the casualties, saying they were two children.
Syrian men remove a victim from under the rubble of destroyed buildings following a reported air strike on the rebel-held Salihin neighborhood of the northern city of Aleppo, on September 11, 2016.
The Syrian government has not provided needed “facilitation letters”, or permits, to allow for the start of the convoys, de Mistura said.
The UN is angry that its aid convoys remain stuck at the Turkish border because permits promised by the Syrian government have not materialised.
Speaking in Geneva, de Mistura blamed Assad’s government for the delay.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Syria is one of the most complex and dynamic humanitarian crises in the world today. “At the same time, the “moderate opposition” led by the U.S. is increasing the amount of attacks on residential districts”, said Mr Konashenkov said.
“It is very positive”, said Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman. The highway, nicknamed “Death Road”, cuts through Aleppo and is considered the only route into the rebel-held east of the city, an area that has been in desperate need of aid since regime forces virtually cut it off in July.
The deal calls for the truce to be renewed every 48 hours, and for Washington and Moscow to begin unprecedented joint targeting of jihadists like IS and former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front if it lasts a week.
In the meantime, the United Nations hailed “a significant drop in violence” that occurred in Syria after the ceasefire came into effect.
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If the deal does hold, it could open the door to new peace talks to resolve the conflict, with Russian Federation saying the United Nations envoy could invite government and opposition representatives to new talks “at the very beginning of October”.
