“We assure the UN that we are ready to help and coordinate the delivery of aid to all Syrians, throughout the Syrian territory,” the ambassador told the press, when asked about the populations in the areas controlled by rebels and jihadists.
The Syrian ambassador to the United Nations, relaying Damascus’s request for aid after the devastating earthquake that hit the country, assured yesterday Monday that it will be distributed “to all Syrians” who need it, “throughout the territory”, although part of it is outside the control of his government.
Bassam Sabah met in New York with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to convey to him the request for help from the Syrian government, which promised to “facilitate all the necessary (procedures) for international organizations to distribute humanitarian aid”. after the earthquake that caused terrible destruction in Syria, as well as in Turkey.
“We assure the UN that we are ready to help and coordinate the delivery of aid to all Syrians, throughout the Syrian territory,” the ambassador told the press, when asked about the populations in the areas controlled by rebels and jihadists.
Today, humanitarian aid to these zones generally arrives from Turkey, thanks to a cross-border mechanism created in 2014 by a decision of the United Nations Security Council.
But this mechanism is contested by Damascus and Moscow, who consider it to violate Syrian national sovereignty. Under pressure from Russia and China, the number of crossing points was reduced in time from four to one.
Asked about the possibility of opening new crossings to deal with the consequences of the earthquake, the Syrian diplomat appeared yesterday to reject the idea.
“We are ready to work with anyone who wants to help Syrians from inside Syria. Access from Syria is there, (stakeholders) can coordinate with the government — we are ready to do it,” Bassam Sabagh stressed.
However, the UN has repeatedly emphasized in recent years that the provision of aid through the front lines, which requires the green light of Damascus, is not possible on a scale capable of meeting the needs of the populations of northwestern Syria.
“We hope that we will be able to deliver aid through the front lines,” Stephane Dujarric, Antonio Guterres’ spokesman, noted yesterday on Monday. But “this mechanism is a little more difficult” than the cross-border one, he added, assuring that in any case, the UN will distribute as much aid as possible, “regardless of the method”.
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