The United Nations urged Syria’s government Thursday to allow immediate aid deliveries to hunger-stricken civilians, after a fragile ceasefire was extended for 48 hours by Russian Federation and the United States.
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U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has applauded a Syrian cease-fire deal brokered by the United States and Russia, but said its success is “up to the Russians”.
The Castello road should serve as a humanitarian corridor to deliver much-needed United Nations aid to civilians in the besieged city and the neighboring regions, according to the agreement negotiated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and his USA counterpart, John Kerry, in Geneva on September 9.
Konashenkov says the Syrian government forces are “the only party which is willing to hold talks, comply with the cease-fire and pull back the troops in order to allow United Nations humanitarian aid convoys”. “At the same time, the “moderate opposition” led by the USA is increasing the amount of attacks on residential districts”, Mr Konashenkov said.
While a new US-Russia ceasefire has largely held since taking effect on Monday, aid workers have not been able to use the lull in fighting to deliver desperately needed food and medicines.
On September 9, Russian Federation and the United States agreed on a milestone deal on the Syrian crisis after some 13 hours of marathon talks in the Swiss city of Geneva. He said the Kremlin expects the U.S.to do the same with rebel forces.
“Our appeal is the following”, Egeland said.
The deal is simple, said Egeland: Well-fed grown men, please stop putting political, bureaucratic, and procedural roadblocks [before] fearless humanitarian workers that are willing to go to serve women, children, wounded civilians in besieged and crossfire areas.
An AFP correspondent said no movement could be seen on the rubble-strewn Castello Road, the main route for humanitarian assistance in to divided Aleppo.
Nevertheless, the ceasefire appears to have offered a respite in the civil war that’s killed an estimated 430,000 people since 2011 and touched off an global refugee crisis.
“There seems to be little pullback by both sides [Syrian government and rebels] on that road to allow this aid in”, Al Jazeera’s Charles Stratford, reporting from Gazientep on the Turkish border with Syria, said.
The government blamed the armed opposition of violating the cease-fire in different parts of Syria, including a rocket attack on the government-held side of Aleppo that damaged a church.
Russian Federation said Thursday that Syrian armed forces were “fulfilling their obligations and have started a gradual withdrawal” from the route, but rebel groups did not appear to be carrying out a simultaneous pullback as agreed.
“The regime is ready.to withdraw but will not move unless the opposition begins to withdraw”, Abdulrahman said.
Aleppo-based activist Bahaa al-Halaby also denied that government troops had withdrawn, adding that humanitarian conditions in the eastern neighborhoods of Syria’s largest city are deteriorating.
The opposition reported 29 violations by government forces Wednesday, including shelling, air raids and heavy machine-gunfire.
This week, the number of civilians killed has decreased dramatically, and a cautious calm prevails in many parts of the country that are normally studded with airstrikes.
The monitoring group said at least half of those killed were women and children, adding that it was unclear who had carried out the raids.
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The truce does not include the Islamic State group.
