Aid deliveries for millions of people in Syria temporarily suspended Passenger does not fit on the menu on board and in revolt – airline has to divert flight

The agreement for international aid supplies to millions of people in the Syrian rebel areas provisionally expired on Monday because the UN Security Council did not agree on an extension in time. A vote scheduled for Friday was postponed to Monday and then postponed to Tuesday morning local time, AFP news agency has learned from British UN circles in New York. Britain currently chairs the UN Security Council.

As the future of the cross-border supply mechanism across the Turkish-Syrian border was unclear, aid convoys were halted on Monday evening. They cannot be resumed until United Nations approval is obtained.

The 15 members of the panel had been fighting for days to reach a compromise. According to diplomats, a draft resolution tabled by Brazil and Switzerland provided for a one-year extension, but Russia insisted on six months. A nine-month extension is now being negotiated.

Four million people need help

According to the UN, four million people in Syria depend on supplies of food, water and medicine. The aid deliveries will be handled through the Turkish-Syrian border post at Bab al-Hawa. This is the only route through which UN aid can be delivered to the Syrian people without having to pass through areas controlled by Syrian government forces. The UN mandate for this has existed since 2014 and must be renewed every six months.

Damascus and Moscow, a close ally of Syrian ruler Bashar al-Assad, see the UN deliveries as a violation of Syria’s sovereignty. Russia intervened militarily in the Syrian war in 2015. This turned the tide in favor of Assad, whose forces managed to retake a number of areas. (sda/afp)