Top EU official: Aid access to Syrians must stay open

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 regime-controlled parts of the war-torn country.

“This operation means life for millions of people on the other side of the border,” Lenarcic told reporters at the Turkish border province of Hatay. “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.”

Russia has come under intense pressure from the UN, US and others who warn of dire humanitarian repercussions for Syrians in rebel strongholds if the crossing is closed.