The 15-member council unanimously passed a compromise resolution at the last minute to allow the extension of cross-border operations.
The UN Security Council has agreed to expand a cross-border assistance operation from Turkey to Syria to Syria to ensure that the UN provides assistance to millions of Syrians within 12 months.
After Russia agreed to a compromise with the United States in last-minute negotiations, the Security Council reached an agreement to expand activities at the only border crossing point through which humanitarian aid will reach northwestern Syria controlled by the rebels.
“Parents can fall asleep tonight, because they know that in the next 12 months, their children will be full. The humanitarian agreement we have here will truly save lives,” said Linda U.S. Thomas Greenfield said on Friday.
The Council’s mandate for long-term assistance operations is Due to expiry on Saturday. After weeks of discussions on the resolution drafted by Ireland and Norway, Syrian ally Russia proposed a six-month extension on Thursday.
On Friday morning, after Thomas Greenfield and Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia (Vassily Nebenzia) negotiated, the 15-member council unanimously passed a compromise resolution calling for submission within six months A UN report on Syria’s aid access, but diplomats said there was no need to vote again. In January, cross-border operations were extended again.
The White House statement stated that US President Joe Biden had a conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, and that “leaders praised the joint work of their respective teams.”
In addition, Nebenzia described the vote on the resolution proposed by the United States and Russia as a “historical moment.”
“This is the first time that Russia and the United States have not only managed to reach an agreement, but also submitted a joint text supported by all Council members,” he said.
“We hope this situation represents a turning point, not only for Syria, but also for the entire Middle East region and the world.”
Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar reported from the Bab al-Hawa crossing on the Turkish-Syrian border that although this is a positive achievement, the resolution does not represent a long-term solution.
“One-third of the population of this small place [northwest Syria] Depends on the distribution of aid from the United Nations. Yesterday we were in the refugee camp and [we] It can be seen that the situation is so terrible that children and women have very limited access to water, food, electricity and medical care,” Serdar said.
“In addition, Russians and regime forces continue to attack these densely populated areas… In this sense, the 12-month extension of the United Nations cross-border assistance mechanism will definitely provide relief to local health care workers, patients, but it is far It cannot be a permanent solution to the healthcare crisis and humanitarian crisis in this war-torn region,” he added.
Biden mentioned the importance of cross-border assistance to Putin in June. The Biden administration warned at the time that if cross-border aid delivery is closed, any future cooperation with Russia on the Syrian issue will be at risk.
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called on the Security Council to extend the cross-border assistance operation for another year and warned that failure to do so would cause a devastating blow to millions of people.
The committee authorized cross-border assistance operations to Syria for the first time in 2014 at four points. Last year, as Russia and China opposed the renewal of all four, it reduced this from Turkey to the rebel-controlled zone in Syria.
Russia stated that the aid operation is outdated and violates Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. In their attacks on the United States and other countries, Russia and China have also attributed some of the difficulties in Syria to unilateral sanctions.
