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Unanimously approved, Security Council resolution demands aid access

Saturday, February 22, 2014 10:46
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(Before It's News)

Unanimously approved, Security Council resolution demands aid access in =

Syria
UN New Center
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=3D47204&Cr=3DSyria&Cr1=3D#.Uwj=
fw5pWG00

22 February 2014 =96 The United Nations Security Council today unanimously =

approved a resolution to boost humanitarian aid access in Syria, a move =

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said can at least ease some civilian =

suffering, if it is implemented quickly and in good faith.

Through Resolution 2139 (2014), the Council demanded =93that all parties, i=
n =

particular the Syrian authorities, promptly allow rapid, safe and unhindere=
d =

humanitarian access for UN humanitarian agencies and their implementing =

partners, including across conflict lines and across borders.=94

The 15-member Council also called for an immediate end to all forms of =

violence in the country and strongly condemned the rise of Al =

Qaida-affiliated terror attacks.

Members insisted that all parties cease attacking civilians, including =

through the indiscriminate use of weapons in populated areas, such as =

shelling and aerial bombardment with barrel bombs, whose use has been =

condemned by senior UN officials.

Mr. Ban, who participated in the rare Saturday meeting, welcomed the =

resolution but added it =93should not have been necessary=94 as humanitaria=
n =

assistance is not something to be negotiated but allowed by virtue of =

international law.

He expressed profound shock that both sides are besieging civilians as a =

tactic of war, and noted that reports of human rights violations continue, =

including massacres, as well as sexual and gender-based violence against =

children.

In the resolution, the Council strongly condemned =93the widespread violati=
ons =

of human rights and international humanitarian law by the Syrian =

authorities=94 and urged all parties involved in the conflict to lift sieg=
es =

of populated areas, including in Aleppo, Damascus and Rural Damascus, and =

Homs.

The resolution builds on the Presidential Statement adopted four months ago=
, =

which stressed the need for immediate action to protect civilians and give =

access to people in need.

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief =

Coordinator Valerie Amos said she hopes the passing of the resolution will =

facilitate delivery of aid. She underscored the importance of protecting =

ordinary people, who have been bearing the brunt of the violence in the =

country.

Earlier this month, Ms. Amos noted that despite =93modest=94 progress on th=
e =

humanitarian front, the UN and partners have not been able to reach the mos=
t =

vulnerable people in the country.

She underscored her plea to Council members to do everything they can to us=
e =

their influence over the parties to this appalling conflict, to ensure that =

they abide by humanitarian pauses and ceasefires, give humanitarian actors =

sustained and regular access, commit, in writing, to upholding internationa=
l =

humanitarian law, allow systematic cross-line access, and prevent UN relief =

teams from being shot at while delivering aid to people in need.

Well over 100,000 people have been killed and an estimated 9 million others =

driven from their homes since the conflict erupted between Syrian President =

Bashar al-Assad and various groups seeking his ouster nearly three years =

ago.

According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), there are currently more than =

2.4 million refugees registered in the region: some 932,000 in Lebanon; =

574,000 in Jordan; some 613,000 in Turkey; 223,000 in Iraq; and about =

134,000 in Egypt.

In today’s resolution, the Council emphasized that =93the humanitarian =

situation will continue to deteriorate in the absence of a political =

solution=94 and expressed support for the UN-sponsored direct talks between =

Government and opposition representatives.

At the end of the second round of talks last week, Lakhdar Brahimi, the =

UN-Arab League Joint Special Representative, expressed regret that =93only =

modest cooperation between the sides=94 was reached on humanitarian effort.=
He =

said the parties agreed to his proposal that a new round of talks would =

focus on violence and terrorism, a transitional governing body, national =

institutions and national reconciliation.
________________________________________
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rab-Israeli relations

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