BAB AL-HAWA, Syria: Residents of embattled northwest Syria warned Saturday of a “catastrophe” following a Russian veto at the UN Security Council that threatens to end cross-border aid deliveries critical to their survival.
Friday’s veto of a resolution that would have extended authorization for UN aid deliveries through the Bab Al-Hawa crossing on the Syrian-Turkish border by one year amounted to a “siege and famine policy that Russia resorts to across Syria,” charged Mazen Allouch, a border crossing official.
Failure to extend the authorization would “serve as a prelude to an uncontrollable famine that would directly threaten food security of more than four million people” living in Syria’s northwest, he told AFP.
The cross-border mechanism at Bab Al-Hawa, which has been in effect since 2014, is set to expire Sunday.
It is the only crossing through which aid can be brought into the rebel-held northwest without navigating areas controlled by Syrian government forces.
The Sunday deadline still leaves time for members of the Security Council to keep the crossing open.
But concern is high in the northwestern province of Idlib, where the majority of the population is displaced and grapples with food insecurity.
“Everyone knows most camp residents are completely dependent on this aid,” said Abdulsalam Youssef who lives in a makeshift settlement.
Russia’s veto spells a “catastrophe for me.”
More than 4,600 aid trucks, carrying mostly food, have crossed Bab Al-Hawa so far this year, helping some 2.4 million people, according to the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
On Saturday, Bab al Hawa was closed because of the Muslim Eid Al-Adha holidays, said an AFP correspondent at the crossing.
A calm silence has prevailed over the border area since a final aid convoy crossed over on Friday at noon.
“I hope the Security Council will meet again soon and agree on a way forward,” said Mark Cutts, UN deputy regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syria crisis.
“Failure to renew the resolution for cross-border aid will be a catastrophe for over four million people in northwest Syria,” he told AFP.
Northwest Syria fears ‘catastrophe’ as Russia blocks cross-border aid
https://arab.news/bgj55
Northwest Syria fears ‘catastrophe’ as Russia blocks cross-border aid
- Border officials warn that Russia's veto amounts to a “famine policy”
Iraq PM candidate Al-Maliki meets senior US diplomat
- Last month President Donald Trump intervened in Iraq’s affairs by issuing an ultimatum that if Al-Maliki — a two-time former premier with close ties to Iran — was named Iraq’s next prime minister, the US would no longer help the country
BAGHDAD: The leading candidate to become Iraq’s next prime minister, Nouri Al-Maliki, met with US diplomat Tom Barrack on Friday after refusing to withdraw his nomination despite the US threatening to stop supporting the country if he returns to the post.
Barrack, the US envoy to Syria and ambassador to Turkiye, has recently visited Iraq multiple times to meet with senior officials.
Maliki’s media office said in a short statement that the PM candidate stressed during the meeting “the need to respect Iraq’s sovereignty and the will of its people.”
He also spoke of the “importance of supporting the democratic process and strengthening political stability” in Iraq.
It wasn’t clear what message Barrack conveyed to Maliki.
Last month President Donald Trump intervened in Iraq’s affairs by issuing an ultimatum that if Al-Maliki — a two-time former premier with close ties to Iran — was named Iraq’s next prime minister, the US would no longer help the country.
Trump’s threat left Iraqi leaders at a loss, particularly within the Coordination Framework — a ruling alliance of Shiite groups with varying degrees of links to Iran that nominated Maliki.
Earlier this week, Al-Maliki told AFP he would not withdraw his nomination, while also seeking to allay Washington’s concerns.
“I have absolutely no intention of withdrawing out of respect for my country, its sovereignty, and its will,” Al-Maliki told AFP in an interview.
