Press. voanews.com
The U.N.
Security Council approved cross-border aid deliveries to Syria for another year
Tuesday, despite some concerns from Russia. The renewed authorization will help
the United Nations and its partners get life-saving aid to more than three
million people in northern and southern parts of the war-torn country.
The resolution
was adopted with a vote of 13 in favor and three abstentions - Russia, China
and Bolivia. The Russian
envoy, Vladimir Safronkov, said when the council mandated cross-border
deliveries in 2014, it was intended as a temporary measure, implemented during
a heightened phase of the armed conflict.
"Today the
situation in the country has changed radically and the mechanism for
cross-border deliveries remains a legacy of the past," he told council
members. "We think it is important to gradually roll down this rudimentary
scheme which has worked for Syria's division."
U.N.
humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock welcomed the continuation of the measure in
place since 2014, saying cross-border deliveries are a vital part of the
humanitarian response in Syria, where 13 million people are in need of
assistance.
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