A Blockade in the UN security Council threatened the humanitarian aid for millions of Needy in Syria. Russia and China prevented on Tuesday local time, a German-Belgian Resolution on continuation of announced humanitarian aid for the war-torn country with a Veto, as the German Ambassador to the UN, Christoph Heusgen, at a meeting of the Council. The most powerful body of the United Nations now has only until Friday to agree before the end of the period on an extension of the scheme. In addition to Russia, a key ally of Syria, and China, all 13 other members of the Council agreed to the Text.
the Background is a since 2014 existing Resolution that allows the UN to bring essential relief supplies through border crossings in parts of the country, not of ruler Bashar al-Assad to be controlled. Of the goods that pass through these points, millions and millions of people. According to Russian resistance, the once four Transitions were reduced at the beginning of the year to two, which are in Assad’s area of influence since then has worsened the supply situation for some regions of Syria significantly.
Russia now wants to keep only a Transition, Bab al-Hawa, in the North-West of Syria, for the delivery of relief goods open. The previous mechanism had to be phased out because of the growing influence of the Syrian government in the country, “gradually” and by a new System of aid deliveries replaced. A corresponding to the vote provided against the draft, but it is considered out of the game. Moscow has in the dispute, nevertheless, in a significantly stronger negotiating position, since it can dispense with the System of cross-border help, if no compromise is found.
After the view of Germany and other countries in the 15-member security Council, both currently existing border be required crossings from Turkey to Syria to continue strongly, if one of them fails due to the fight. Also, the United Nations had stressed on Tuesday that utility corridors were “vital” for many of the civilians in Syria.
A spokeswoman for the foreign office in Berlin stressed that about 2.8 million people from the food aid from the United Nations. “The cross-border supply is the only way for them to receive humanitarian aid as the Syrian Regime relief supplies from Damascus difficult to continue to be solid”. Germany and Belgium had dispensed with in the negotiations in the run-up because of Russian resistance to the further Transition to the Iraqi border, would be given the Corona-crisis is particularly important for the replenishment of medical goods.
Before the vote in the security Council, the German had foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) and his Russian colleague Sergey Lavrov about the humanitarian situation in the war-torn country on the phone. It is an attempt of Germany is likely to have been – the security Council currently has the presidency of the UN -, Moscow at the last second, from the Veto to dissuade. China follows the Russian vote regarding Syria in the UN body often.