UN Relief Coordinator Asks Syrian Parties To Agree On Modality For Cross-Line Aid

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 28th October, 2021) UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths called on the parties in Syria to agree on a modality to enable timely distribution of humanitarian aid brought from Damascus.

"I urge... all concerned parties to ensure that cross-line missions and the aid distributions associated with them proceed without delays. If cross-line operations are to be a sustainable way of reaching more people, then we need agreement on a suitable distribution modality that is acceptable to all the relevant parties," Griffiths said in a UN Security Council meeting on Wednesday.

Griffiths pointed out that humanitarian partners in Syria are currently preparing another World food Program (WFP) cross-line delivery into the northwest of the country in November.

In August, a WFP delivery reached Idlib and is awaiting full agreement from the parties to be distributed to the people in need, Griffiths said. He also expressed hope the volume of cross-border aid in Syria could be increased.

"I'm quietly optimistic that we will be able to further expand cross-line access over the coming months. And you can be sure that we will certainly do our part," Griffiths said.

In July, the UN Security Council, through the resolution extending the cross-border aid delivery mechanism using a crossing in Turkey for six months, requested the expansion of cross-line aid deliveries from within the country that Damascus can directly oversee.