UN Security Council extends trans-border aid to Syria on fifth try

UNITED NATIONS, July 12. /TASS/. The United Nations Security Council passed a resolution to extend the trans-border humanitarian aid mechanism for Syria through a single checkpoint on Turkish border for one year, German Permanent Representative to UN Christoph Heusgen, the president of the Council for July, said Saturday. "Twelve votes for, three countries abstained. The draft resolution was passed by a majority of votes," he said. The three abstained countries were Russia, China and the Dominican Republic. The Saturday vote was the fifth attempt of the Security Council to extend the trans-border operations. The final resolution is extremely brief and rules "to extend Resolution 2139 by 12 months while excluding checkpoints Bab al-Salam (Turkish border), Al Ya’rubiah (Iraqi border) and Al Ramta (Jordanian border)." Therefore, the aid shipment will take place through a single checkpoint on the Turkish border - Bab al-Hawa. Throughout the week, Russia has put to vote its own draft resolution, which implied extension of aid through a single checkpoint. However, the Western nations sought to insist on two checkpoints; besides, they disagreed with the clause condemning unilateral sanctions against Syria. The UN Security Council introduced the trans-border operations in July of 2014. Moscow justifies the need to wrap up the mechanism by the situation on the ground which changed over the course of the last six years. More and more Syrian regions return under Damascus’s control, making it possible to deliver the aid in coordination with the Syrian government, in compliance with the international humanitarian law. Read more