Russian veto against extending cross-border aid delivery mechanism to Syria

Russia vetoed Friday during the UN Security Council vote on a draft resolution submitted by Norway and Ireland to extend the mechanism for the delivery of humanitarian aid across the border to Syria without Damascus' consent for one year, and Moscow accepted only a six-month extension.

The authorization expires Sunday, and it has been in effect since 2014 and allows the transfer of aid through the Bab al-Hawa crossing on the Syrian-Turkish border for more than 2.4 million people in the Idlib region (northwest), which is under the control of opposition groups.

Thirteen of the 15 countries that are members of the Security Council supported the draft resolution.

This time, China chose to abstain from the vote, after keeping pace with Russia in the past in terms of using its veto, which was welcomed by the Westerners.

Assistant Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Dmitry Polyansky considered that "the project constitutes a challenge to the sovereignty of Damascus," expressing his regret for the "obstinacy" of Western countries and their insistence on extending the aid mechanism for a year.

He stated that his country had submitted a draft resolution to the Security Council providing for an extension for six months.

The members of the Security Council still have an opportunity to reach a ground of understanding before Sunday evening and, in the worst case, Monday, according to observers.

The US ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas Greenfield, regretted the Russian position.

She said that the project is a "compromise text" proposed by Norway and Ireland, explaining that six months is not enough to ensure the delivery of serious assistance to the population, stressing that the matter requires a "clear timetable."

On behalf of the ten non-permanent members of the Council, Kenya announced before the vote that this group "supports" the extension of the aid mechanism for twelve months.

Since Wednesday, the 15 members of the Council have been engaged in continuous negotiations in an attempt to overcome the impasse between the two different periods of time between Westerners and Russia, but to no avail.

The text proposed by Norway and Ireland included an extension of six months until the tenth of January 2023, "with an extension for an additional six months, until the tenth of July 2023, unless the Council decides otherwise."

The extension was also associated with a "basic report" presented by the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the transparency of aid shipments and the progress made in securing aid from Damascus across the front lines, in addition to the progress recorded in the field of "rapid rehabilitation projects related to humanitarian needs."

For its part, Moscow proposed in its project an extension "for six months until the tenth of January 2023" with the possibility of "an additional six-month extension, until the tenth of July 2023, which requires a separate decision."

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news