A UN Security Council (UNSC) mandate for emergency supplies to almost 4 million people in Syria via Turkey expired on Sunday, as diplomats struggled to reach a deal with Russia, which has traded jabs with the US over the extension of the aid mission (July 9). Martin Griffiths, UN relief head, told Canada’s CBC News that if this mission is not sustained, ‘people will die’. The 15-member council needed to adopt a new resolution in January to prolong it for another six months, but Russia rejected a one-year extension on Friday (July 7) and then failed in its own bid to gain a six-month extension, according to Reuters.
However, according to the United States, France, and the United Kingdom, a six-month extension is inadequate time for assistance organizations to develop and implement a strategy. Russia, on the other side, contends that the UN humanitarian operation violates Syria’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. The opposition is concerned that more aid should be provided domestically, putting them under the government’s authority.
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States’ ambassador to the UN, met with the groups, who informed her that without the UN’s efforts, approximately 70% of the world’s food needs would not be satisfied. Linda stated that efforts are being made to establish an agreement with the UN Security Council. In response to Linda’s tweet, Russia’s Deputy UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy stated that Russia just wants to increase the efficacy and transparency of the UN mission. The council’s decision on assistance operation authorization has always been contentious, but this year’s vote coincides with the intensification of hostilities between the two countries as a result of the Russian invasion.
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