Situation in Syria is worse than any other time: Guterres
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – For many of Syria’s people, the situation today is worse than at any time since the conflict began, said UN Secretary-General António Guterres on Wednesday.
“13.4 million people need humanitarian assistance. 12.4 million people are food-insecure,” Guterres added.
Speaking by teleconference from Brussels at a meeting of the UN Security Council yesterday, Guterres appealed for renewing cross-border mandate, warning that “a failure to extend the Council’s authorization would have devastating consequences.”
“The water deficit in the Euphrates basin is the worst in memory. If water levels drop any lower, the Tishreen and Tabqa dams will stop generating electricity,” the UN Secretary-General stressed.
He pointed out that the Syrian people are in dire need, and it is essential to mobilize all our capacities, along all channels.
“It is time to end this decade-long nightmare,” Guterres concluded.
For her part, the US Ambassador, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said the United States is willing to work to expand aid to Syrians across borders and conflict lines.
While Russia’s Ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, took a hard line, claiming the border crossing is used by terrorists.
In 2020, Russia used its veto threat in the Security Council to score victories for its close ally Syria, to limit humanitarian aid deliveries to just the Bab al-Hawa crossing from Turkey.
In the coming days, Ireland and Norway intend to circulate a draft resolution that “renews and expands the mechanism for the delivery of humanitarian aid in response to urgent humanitarian needs.”
A resolution to extend the council’s approval, requires a vote of nine members in its favour, with no veto being used by any of the five permanent members, namely the United States, Russia, China, France and Britain.
There are two crossings with Iraq and Kurdistan region of Iraq in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), Semalka and Tel Kochar (al-Ya’roubiyah).
Tel Kochar (al-Ya’roubiyah) crossing has been closed to UN humanitarian access to northeast Syria for more than two years due to a veto used by Russia and China, which exacerbated the challenges facing the region, while Semalka is non-formal crossing.
Formerly, the AANES noted to the necessity of opening Tel Kochar (al-Ya’roubiyah) crossing to provide humanitarian aid and supplies for the residents of the region in order to counter the coronavirus epidemic, where millions of people live in northeastern Syria in addition to tens of thousands of displaced people in the camps.