In Geneva, the taskforces on humanitarian aid delivery and a ceasefire – created by the ISSG – have been meeting separately since early this year on a way forward in the crisis. It’s also an important way to judge if the ceasefire is successful. “It is a shame that we are losing time”, Mistura stated.
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Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry said Thursday the United States was not fulfilling its obligations under the ceasefire agreement, and Washington pointed the finger at Moscow for allegedly not holding up its end.
However, the truce, which began on September 12, has achieved nearly nothing in terms of aid delivery as hundreds of thousands in cities such as Aleppo have been affected by weeks of fierce fighting and are desperately in need of aid.
The delivery of aid is a precondition of the survival of a cessation of hostilities that came into effect on Monday and is created to lead to unprecedented joint Russian-American action against terror groups inside Syria.
Russian Federation has accused the USA of failing to uphold their end of the Syrian ceasefire agreement. “Moreover, it appears that the “verbal curtain” of Washington is aimed at hiding the non-fulfilment of the U.S. obligations”.
US State Department spokesman Mark Toner Toner acknowledged Wednesday that the situation hadn’t been flawless.
“It’s particularly regrettable because we are losing time”, said de Mistura, emphasizing the importance of getting the convoys moving during the weeklong cease-fire and calling for immediate action to unblock aid deliveries. “So far it has been persevering and protecting the Syrian people who have been paying a high price”, said Rami Adbulrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. He visited an area that was the scene of intense shelling just before the ceasefire went into effect, where buildings had been reduced to rubble.
Aid agencies have said they need reassurances from both government and opposition groups to use the road to deliver aid.
In America, criticism has also been leveled at the US’ cooperation with both Russian Federation and the regime of President Assad, whose human rights abuses typically receive extensive coverage in the US’ press.
“As part of the conversation they agreed to extend the cessation for another 48 hours”.
But there have been a handful of violations on both sides, Toner acknowledged.
Russian Federation – which is flying a bombing campaign in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad – insists that Syrian regime forces are fully respecting the truce, but US-backed rebels are violating it.
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 ISIS and former Al-Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham Front if it lasts a week.
Poznikhir also said that Russian Federation had on Tuesday bombed the area north of the historic city of Palmyra, “where IS militants are concentrated”, in the first such strikes since the truce came into force.
It’s not clear if those strikes were carried out unilaterally or in coordination with the United States.
Security also remains a chief concern for aid coordinators.
De Mistura said the Syrian government previously agreed to grant the authorization prior to the signing of the cease-fire deal, but no such facilitation letters have been received.
He said that “not a single permit is in hand for our people, and if they don’t have that they can not load and they can not go”.
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Toner also said it is still the assessment of the United States and Russian Federation that it is worth continuing the cessation of hostilities, although he acknowledged that humanitarian aid has yet to begin flowing as called for under the agreement.
