Five years of failed efforts to quell the fighting in Syria have persuaded many observers that the war, inconclusive and catastrophic on a historic scale, may be unresolvable.
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Staffan de Mistura put the blame squarely on a lack of authorisation from Bashar Assad’s government that has even disappointed the Syrian president’s key backer: Russian Federation.
Russian Federation said Wednesday that separating Syrian rebels from “terrorists” is a “key task” to ensure that the Russia-U.S. -brokered cease-fire continues to hold in Syria, where a relative calm has prevailed since the truce went into effect two days ago.
The truce has largely held, but lifesaving aid remained stuck on the Turkish-Syrian border, United Nations officials said.
De Mistura said some people had used the argument that offices were closed during this week’s Muslim Eid holiday, and the Syrian government had been “a little bit slow” during Eid, but he would not accept that as a valid reason.
Aside from the reducing the bloodshed, the “second dividend” of the U.S. -Russia deal is humanitarian access, de Mistura told reporters in Geneva.
“Are we disappointed? Of course we are, but who is particularly disappointed are the Syrian people”, he added.
Ban said Wednesday he has been in touch with the Russian government, urging them to exercise influence on the Syrian government to let the trucks in.
The UN Special Envoy for Syria said Thursday that UN aid convoys had not yet reached civilians trapped in besieged and hard-to-reach locations in Syria despite a nationwide ceasefire holding since September 12.
For their part, opposition forces said they had recorded some 28 various violations by government troops on Tuesday. It will only coordinate them with Russian Federation, which will coordinate with the Syrian government.
That casualty toll is according to Deir el-Zour 24, an activist collective.
Syrian state media broadcast footage of the tourism and health ministers touring neighborhoods on the southern edge of Aleppo that were recently recaptured by the government from rebel groups.
Egeland said aid convoys could reach besieged zones such as Moadamiyah, al Waer and Douma by the end of the week if the permits were issued, which would be simple to do.
Despite sporadic flaring of tensions during the ceasefire the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the Syrian conflict through contacts on the ground, said no deaths from fighting were reported in the first 48 hours of the truce.
“Can well-fed grown men please stop putting political, bureaucratic and procedural road blocks for fearless humanitarian workers that are willing to go to serve women, children, wounded civilians in besieged and crossfire areas?”
Syria’s Foreign Ministry has said aid can only be delivered to Aleppo if it is coordinated through the government and United Nations – especially aid coming from Turkey.
Lorries of aid aimed for 40,000 people are stuck at the Turkish border two days into the ceasefire. “I want them to allow in vegetables and fuel”, said 30-year-old Mustafa Morjan, in the Al-Zabdiya neighbourhood.
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Syria’s state news agency Sana said opposition fighters opened fire at a location along the Castello road that was being prepared for Syrian Arab Red Crescent representatives. It also said three shells were fired at the government-held southern village of Hadar. IS is not included in the U.S. -Russia-brokered truce that went into effect this week.
