#Security #Council #extends #talks #crossborder #aid #Syria
The United Nations Security Council will continue negotiations on Friday on extending approvals for aid shipments across Syria’s border, a day after a planned vote was scrapped amid disagreements between Russia and the West.
Moscow is seeking a six-month extension with the possibility of an extension, while Western nations are asking for a full year for the transfers made without Damascus approval.
A vote was scheduled for Thursday on extending the permit for aid deliveries across the Syrian-Turkish border near Bab al-Hawa, the permit for which has been in effect since 2014 and expires on Sunday.
Norway and Ireland, two non-permanent members of the 15-country council, presented new text on Thursday evening that would allow for a six-month extension until mid-January 2023, and then another six-month extension “unless the Council decides otherwise.”
The extension would also be conditional on a “significant report” from the secretary-general, including on the transparency of the operation, progress in channeling aid through the frontline and progress in meeting humanitarian needs.
Uncertainty remained as to whether the proposal would accommodate Russia and whether a vote on Friday would be possible.
Nearly 10,000 trucks loaded with humanitarian aid passed through Bab al-Hawa last year bound for the rebel-held region of Idlib in north-west Syria. It is the only crossing through which aid can be brought to Idlib without navigating through areas controlled by Syrian government forces.
Moscow, which has veto power in the Security Council and is a Damascus ally, has curtailed a number of Western-backed measures in recent years.
She sees the approval as a violation of Syria’s sovereignty and believes that the delivery of aid to the north-western region should only be made from Damascus through the front line.
Russia had hinted in recent months that it would resist an extension, having already enforced a reduction in the number of border crossings allowed.
But his latest draft proposal, presented on Thursday, which rivals those of Norway and Ireland, proposes extending the aid by six months, with the possibility of the Council deciding on a further six months in January.
Western nations find the text unacceptable as there is no guarantee of an extension early in the New Year.
But the latest competing texts call for “further initiatives to expand humanitarian activities in Syria,” including water, sanitation, health, education and shelter.
In recent weeks, dozens of NGOs and several senior UN officials have been lobbying members of the Security Council for the year-long cross-border aid clearance.
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