Aleppo ‘the apex of horror’, NZ tells UN
Accusations of warmongering and propaganda flew in a Security Council meeting, in which New Zealand expressed ‘‘frustration and disappointment’’ at the failure to reach consensus over the access of humanitarian missions into war-torn Syria.
Head of United Nations’ relief efforts Stephen O’brien briefed the council overnight (NZ time), pleading for an immediate 48-hour cessation of hostilities to drive aid into areas where millions of civilians were living under siege.
But while all 15 member states, plus the representative for Syria, agreed another humanitarian crisis was looming, a war of words between France and Syria erupted over the sincerity of each other’s statements. Meanwhile, Russia and the United States accused each other of worsening the situation.
It comes just weeks before New Zealand is set to take over for its second presidency of the Security Council, in which Foreign Affairs Minister Murray Mccully has announced the protracted conflict in Syria will be the centrepiece of its month-long agenda.
The city of Aleppo had not seen a UN aid delivery for more than a month, with 275,000 people in eastern Aleppo cut off from vital supplies.
It had become the ‘‘apex of horror’’, said O’brien.
Russia had agreed to a 48-hour ‘‘humanitarian pause’’ on August 18, and while the UN had an emergency response plan in place, it was still standing by to send supply trucks across Aleppo if access and security was granted.
The risk to rescue workers was ‘‘immense’’ said O’brien, who said the ‘‘abhorrent’’ tactic of staging ‘‘double tap attacks’’ – where air strikes on buildings were paused just long enough for rescue workers to get there, before being relaunched – had disturbingly become standard practice.
In 2016, Syrian authorities responded to 24 UN requests to access 32 locations and about 991,050 people, by denying access to more than 50 per cent of the requested civilians, including in Darayya and Kafr Batna, he said.
New Zealand, also speaking on behalf of Spain and Egypt as joint ‘‘penholders’’ on Syria, and the penholder on humanitarian assistance, called for ‘‘immediate, unhindered and complete’’ humanitarian access to all areas of Syria.
The UN Penholder system is an informal one where a nation or group of nations take the lead on drafting documents for discussion or negotiation.
In a pointed statement, Ambassador Carolyn Schwalger said ‘‘Da’esh (Isis) and the Al Nusra Front’’ which recently renamed itself Jabhat Fatah al Sham, were designated terrorist organisations.
‘‘The international community must do all it can to prevent any material or financial support from reaching these groups and dissuade any party to the cessation of hostilities from fighting in collaboration with them.’’
Schwalger condemned ongoing and repeated attacks against medical personnel and facilities.
‘‘We had hoped to agree a press statement which captured the points I have just outlined, and we are disappointed and frustrated that we have not been able to.
‘‘It is disappointing that we are not able to agree on a response to the horrific humanitarian situation throughout Syria and the looming humanitarian situation in Aleppo,’’ Schwalger said.
A press statement must have unanimous agreement from council members.
The statements from Russia’s representative Vitaly Churkin – a veto-holding permanent member – and Syrian Ambassador Bashar Ja’afari, invited to participate in the discussion, accused other nations, namely the US and France of shedding ‘‘crocodile tears’’ and being openly hostile to Syria.
All expressed horror at the image of 5-year-old Omran Daqneesh, sitting bloodied and traumatised in the back of an ambulance – an image which has caused global outrage.
US Ambassador Michele Sison said the regime of Bashar al-assad had drawn on Russia’s assistance to continue the conflict, which had seen the use of gruesome tactics, from ‘‘starve-and-surrender’’, to the use of barrel bombs.
Russia had failed to provide ‘‘unfettered humanitarian access’’ and was responsible for 78 per cent of civilians living under siege, Sison said.
Ambassador for Britain Matthew Rycroft called on Russia to stop its use of ‘‘incendiary munitions’’ and use its influence on the regime to end all attacks on civilians.
An effective siege was broken last month, when Russian and Syrian warplanes ramped up air strikes on rebel-held areas.
Rebels, supported by the US, Turkey and Gulf Arab nations, have been fighting since 2011 to oust Assad, who has the support of Russia and Iran. Russia began air strikes last September.