Trucks carrying United Nations humanitarian aid at the Bab al-Hawa border post, February 20, 2023. MAHMOUD HASSANO/ Portal
The United Nations is concerned about “unacceptable conditions” imposed by Damascus for using the Bab al-Hawa crossing point to deliver life-saving humanitarian assistance to millions of rebel-held areas in northwestern Syria, it said in a Friday, July 14 statement by Document consulted by Agence France-Presse (AFP) ).
Syrian authorities announced on Thursday that they would authorize the United Nations to use this border crossing between Turkey and Syria for six months, but their letter “contains two unacceptable conditions,” the document said, the bureau released on Friday sent to the Security Council by the United Nations Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which is concerned about the ban on speaking to units “classified as ‘terrorist'” and the “monitoring” of their operations by other organizations.
Syria’s announcement followed Monday’s expiry of the mandate of the UN mechanism that has allowed UN convoys to cross the border into rebel-held areas without permission from Damascus since 2014. The Security Council failed to extend the extension this week after Russia, a key Damascus ally, vetoed a nine-month extension.
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The Syrian government’s approval “can be a basis for lawfully conducting UN humanitarian operations through the Bab al-Hawa border post,” OCHA said. But while the UN was working on the mechanism, the regime of Bashar al-Assad, which saw the mechanism as a violation of its sovereignty, imposed conditions.
“Two unacceptable conditions”
Among the two conditions that OCHA found “unacceptable,” the government “stressed that the United Nations should not communicate with organizations classified as terrorists,” the document said.
However, the UN and its partners must “continue to engage in exchanges with relevant state and non-state actors that are operationally necessary to conduct safe and unhindered humanitarian operations,” according to the UN office. Such dialogue is vital to ensure safe and timely access to civilians in need. »
United Nations Humanitarian Aid unloaded at Bab al-Hawa border post, July 10, 2023. OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP
The Damascus Letter also calls for oversight by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (CARC). A request “neither consistent with the independence of the United Nations, nor practical given that the ICRC and CARC are not present in north-western Syria,” stresses the OCHA.
The UN document also states that the requirement that the aid be delivered “in full cooperation and coordination with the Syrian government” needs to be examined and “clarified”.
“Noninterference” and “Impartiality”
Earlier on Friday, Antonio Guterres spokesman Stéphane Dujarric pointed out that “no more UN humanitarian aid had been channeled to Bab al-Hawa” since the Security Council’s mandate expired on Monday evening.
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“We consult various partners. We are examining the conditions stated in the letter,” said Stéphane Dujarric. “The principles that guide us in Syria and everywhere else is our commitment to provide humanitarian assistance based on the humanitarian principles of non-interference, impartiality, etc. This is the only way humanitarian aid can be distributed,” he said, recalling that the United Nations had earmarked aid in Syria should the mandate expire.
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For its part, the ICRC delegation in New York told AFP that “the magnitude of the needs in Syria calls for a comprehensive and unbiased approach.” “We welcome the actions aimed at alleviating the suffering of millions of people in north-western Syria” and “we stand ready to provide assistance within our capacities and with the consent of all stakeholders,” the ICRC added.
According to the United Nations, 4 million people in north-west Syria, mostly women and children, need humanitarian assistance to survive after years of conflict, economic shocks, epidemics and rising poverty exacerbated by devastating earthquakes. The mechanism, which expired on Monday, helped 2.7 million people every month.
Despite the closure of Bab al-Hawa, two other border crossings approved by President Assad following the February earthquakes are still operational. However, this authorization expires on August 13th. And in Bab al-Hawa, 85% of United Nations humanitarian supplies were transported to rebel-held areas.