Aid access to Syrians must stay open, says EU official
‘This operation means life for millions of people on the other side of the border. The consequences for human lives would be catastrophic,’ says Lenarcic
A top EU official said on Thursday that the potential closure of the only remaining border crossing through which humanitarian aid can enter parts of Syria held by anti-government insurgents would have “catastrophic” consequences for millions of civilians.
Janez Lenarcic, EU commissioner for Crisis Management, urged the UN Security Council to vote to keep the Bab Al Hawa border crossing between Turkey and northern Syria operational and for other border crossings to be reopened.
He made the comments during a visit to Bab Al Hawa ahead of a crucial July 10 vote at the Security Council on whether to keep the crossing - which provides Un-coordinated assistance to more than 2.4 million Syrians - open.
Syria’s government and its ally Russia, a member of the Security Council, want the aid to start coming through government-controlled parts of the war-torn country.
“This is a critical time for what is one of the largest humanitarian operations out there,” Lenarcic told journalists in the town of Reyhanli in southern Turkey.
“This operation means life for millions of people on the other side of the border,” Lenarcic said.
“Non-renewal of this lifeline across Bab Al Hawa would have tremendous, dramatic humanitarian consequences for millions of people who depend on this lifeline.”
“I trust that the members of the UN Security Council will appreciate the importance of preserving this lifeline,” he said. “The consequences for human lives would be catastrophic.”
Lenarcic said the EU would welcome any humanitarian assistance coming from Damascus, but added: “Not much, if any, humanitarian assistance is coming to northwest Syria from the government-controlled areas.”
The crisis management commissioner suggested Russia was placing political support for the Syrian government above assistance for Syrians.
“This is not about politics. It should be about saving human lives,” he said.
Separately, the Turkish Red Crescent chief on Thursday denounced as “inhuman” a possible closure of the aid route into Syria caused by Russia wielding its UN Security Council veto.
“The fate of millions of people in need is likely to be affected negatively by a veto. Such a decision will be unfair and inhuman,” the NGO’S president, Kerem Kinik, said. Kinik said failure to extend the cross-border aid risks triggering a new wave of migrants at Turkey’s door.
“We are carrying out a major operation to keep (Syrians) in their own territory,” he said.
“In case of a possible closure of this border, the population will be deprived of support and we’ll face the risk of migrants.”
Separately, the EU’S executive chief says she’s looking at ways to offer “more support” to Cyprus from the bloc’s border agency Frontex to stem the flow of migrants to the eastern Mediterranean island nation from nearby countries including Turkey.
Visiting European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Thursday offered no specifics on how Frontex could help but said that the EU’S European Asylum Support Office could step up its efforts to help Cyprus expedite asylum applications.
Cypriot officials say the country is stretched to its limits and can hardly cope as the number of migrants and refugees who have either received or applied for international protection in Cyprus now amounts to 4% of the country’s population.
EU figures show that the vast majority of the 4 437 migrants who reached Cyprus so far this year crossed a United Nations-controlled buffer zone into the ethnically split country’s internationally recognized Greek Cypriot south from the breakaway, Turkish Cypriot north. The number of arrivals represents a 30% increase from the same period last year.
Most migrants fly from Turkey to Cyprus’ north before crossing southward.
Von der Leyen said the EU is currently negotiating a new migration deal with Turkey that will include a clause sending back failed asylum seekers.
EU leaders last month approved to give Turkey another 3 billion euros ($3.6 billion) over the next few years to provide fresh assistance to Syrian refugees on its territory and to help the country boost border controls.