‘We cannot give up on the Syrian people,’ says UN chief addressing Security Council.

‘We cannot give up on the Syrian people,’ says UN chief addressing Security Council.

 

On Monday, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the Security Council to prolong its approval of relief delivery from Turkey to millions of people in need in northwest Syria, telling the body: “We cannot abandon the Syrian people.”

 

On July 10, the United Nations mandate allowing supply from Turkey to Syria’s opposition-controlled northwest ends.

 

An ally of Syria Russia claims that Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are being violated by the long-running operation. It proposes that more aid be given from within the country, prompting opposition fears that food and other aid will be seized by the government.

 

According to Guterres, the UN has made five such deliveries – known as cross-line – into the opposition-controlled northwest in the last year, but they were not ‘at the scale needed to replace the large cross-border response.’

 

‘I humbly request that the members of the council retain their agreement on allowing cross-border operations,’ he said. ‘It is a moral imperative to alleviate the suffering and vulnerability of the 4.1 million people who require assistance and protection in the region.’