The UN has not resumed humanitarian aid to northwestern Syria through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing, a spokesman said today, clarifying that it was always reviewing the “terms” of Damascus’ authorization to use that crossing after the expiration of the mandate of United States.

“There has been no transit of UN humanitarian aid to Bab al-Hawa,” said Stephane Dujarric, a spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. “We are having consultations with various partners. We are looking at the conditions mentioned in the letter” from the Syrian authorities, he added.

Syria announced Thursday that it will allow the UN to use the Bab al-Hawa border crossing between Turkey and its territory for six months to deliver vital humanitarian aid to millions of people living in rebel-held areas in the country’s northwest. .

This announcement follows the expiry on Monday of the mandate of the UN cross-border mechanism that has allowed since 2014 the transfer of this aid to the rebel areas without the permission of Damascus. Russia, a close ally of Damascus, vetoed on Tuesday a proposal to extend the mechanism for nine months.

The Syrian letter specifies that the transit of humanitarian aid through Bab al-Hawa must be done “in full cooperation and coordination with the government.”

It also calls for an oversight by the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Arab Syrian Red Crescent and underlines that the United Nations “must not communicate with the organizations and terrorist groups of northwestern Syria.”

“These things must be studied with care,” noted Stéphane Dujarric, recalling that the UN had pre-arranged aid to Syria, should the mandate expire.

“The principles that guide us in Syria and everywhere else are our commitment to provide humanitarian aid based on humanitarian principles of non-interference, impartiality, etc. This is the only way to distribute humanitarian aid,” he stressed.