The Security Council unanimously agrees to extend the transfer of aid to Syria

The members of the UN Security Council unanimously agreed to extend the mechanism for delivering humanitarian aid to millions of Syrians through the Bab al-Hawa crossing on the border with Turkey for a period of 6 months. Washington welcomed the decision, while Moscow confirmed that its approval does not mean a change in its position.

The decision allows the entry of humanitarian aid through the Bab al-Hawa crossing without permission from the Syrian regime, and it came at a time when the Response Coordinators Organization in Syria announced that the number of people in need of humanitarian aid in Syria exceeded 15 million.

For her part, the US delegate to the United Nations, Linda Thomas Greenfield, welcomed the decision of the UN Security Council, and said that the mechanism should have been renewed for a year, not just 6 months.

"The discussion we need is how to strengthen the mechanism to ensure that aid reaches more people. In the coming months, we must show the Syrian people that we will continue to put their humanity first," she added.

The US representative made it clear that the needs are all over Syria, and are greater than they have ever been.

On the other hand, the Russian delegate, Vasily Nebenzia, described the renewal decision as difficult, adding that the step should not be considered a change in Moscow's principled position on the mechanism.

The Russian delegate added that Western delegations commend their efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Syria and avoid another very disturbing issue, which is unilateral sanctions that negatively affect ordinary Syrians, considering that sanctions are the main factor behind the deterioration of the humanitarian situation.

Nebenzia considered that Western countries are working on purpose to ensure the aggravation of the situation, and are striving to stop the process of normalizing the situation in the country to the maximum extent to distort the efforts of the legitimate government, as he put it.

Today, Tuesday, the period of the previous UN mandate to transfer aid to Syria ends, as the Security Council renewed the aid mechanism on July 12 for a period of only 6 months, under Russian opposition pressure, unlike previous times, when the mechanism was extended for a year.