Russland legt Veto gegen UN-Hilfe für Nordsyrien ein

Jedes Jahr wiederholt sich das selbe Schauspiel und jedes Mal ist die große Frage, ob sie es diesmal wirklich ernst meinen. Wenn ja, wäre dies eine unbeschreibbare Katastrophe für die Menschen in Nordwesten Syrien, die im Januar auch noch von einem furchtbaren Erdbeben heimgesucht wurden:

The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday failed to extend a crucial cross-border aid lifeline into rebel-held northwest Syria after Russia vetoed the vote, casting the future of millions of aid-dependent residents in the area into doubt. 

Russia, a key Syrian regime ally, vetoed a draft resolution proposed by Brazil and Switzerland to extend cross-border aid deliveries into rebel-held northwest Syria by nine months. The last agreement expired on Monday. The United States and the United Kingdom were among the nations that called for a full-year extension while Russia proposed just six months, but ultimately the Council did not reach an agreement. 

“There is no rational or moral argument to veto this resolution,” tweeted Barbara Woodward, British ambassador to the UN who currently holds the presidency of the council. (...)

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “disappointed” that the Council was unable to reach an agreement to extend the cross-border lifeline. “The Secretary-General calls on all Security Council members to redouble their efforts to support the continued delivery of cross-border assistance to millions of people in dire need in north-west Syria for the longest possible period,” said his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric. 

The cross-border mechanism is the only way UN aid, including food, medicine, water, and other critical resources, can be delivered to northwest Syria without having to traverse through areas controlled by the Syrian government. 

The province of Idlib in northwest Syria is the last pocket of rebel-held territory in the region and is mainly controlled by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which has been internationally recognized as a terrorist organization. 

The area’s residents, which include families displaced from across the country, also suffer from dire economic conditions and are heavily reliant on aid for their basic necessities. According to the UN, the humanitarian assistance provided through the cross-border mechanism reached “an average of 2.7 million people every month” in 2022.

Update: Inzwischen hat Syrien zugestimmt, dass der Übergang Bab al-Hawa für weitere sechs Monate für UN-Hilfe geöffnet bleibt.