Syria: UN Security Council votes for a 30-day ceasefire

UNITEDNATIONS: The UN Security Council on Saturday unanimously demanded a 30-day ceasefire in Syria, as new air strikes on the rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta took the civilian death toll from seven days of bombing to more than 500.

With support from Russia, the Security Council adopted a resolution on the ceasefire to allow for humanitarian aid deliveries and medical evacuations, but the measure did not specify when the truce would go into force beyond saying it should be “without delay.”

After the council vote, Syrian warplanes backed by Russian air power launched new raids on a town in Eastern Ghouta, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

At least 41 civilians were killed in Saturday’s strikes, including eight children. Russia has denied taking part in the assault.

The UN vote was initially expected to be held Thursday, but was repeatedly delayed as diplomats were locked in tough negotiations to avoid a veto from Russia, which is militarily supporting President Bashar al-assad.

“Every minute the council waited on Russia, the human suffering grew,” US envoy Nikki Haley told the council after the vote, accusing Moscow of stalling. “As they dragged out the negotiations, the bombs from Assad’s fighter jets continued to fall. In the three days it took us to adopt this resolution, how many mothers lost their kids to the bombing and the shelling?” Russian envoy

Vassily Nebenzia rejected accusations of foot-dragging, saying that negotiations were needed to arrive at a demand for a cease-

I welcome the Security Council’s resolution on a ceasefire in Syria and call for all sides to allow the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid. ANTÓNIO GUTERRES, UN secretary-general

fire that was “feasible”. “What is necessary is for the demands of the Security Council to be underpinned by concrete on-theground agreements,” he said.

To win Russia’s approval, language specifying that the ceasefire would start 72 hours after adoption was scrapped, replaced by “without delay,” and the term “immediate” was dropped in reference to aid deliveries and evacuations.

In another concession to Moscow, the ceasefire will not apply to operations against the Islamic State group or al-qaeda, along with “individuals, groups, undertakings and entities” associated with the terror groups.

That would allow the Syrian government offensive to continue against al-qaeda-linked jihadis in Idlib, the last province in Syria outside the control of Damascus.