UN aid to Syria from Turkey extended until January in win to Russia - The UK, the US and France abstained | Al Arabiya English

The UN Security Council approval a resolution Tuesday extending humanitarian aid deliveries to 4.1 million people in Syria’s northwest in a victory for Russia.

The vote was 12-0, with the United States, Britain and France, which backed a resolution for a year-long extension vetoed on Friday by Russia, abstaining.

Ireland and Norway, which had sponsored the vetoed resolution, circulated a new draft Monday that provides for a six-month extension of deliveries through the Bab al-Hawa crossing until January 10, 2023.

As Russia demanded, a further six-month extension after that would require a new Security Council resolution.

Ireland’s UN Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason said before the vote that after difficult negotiations the two countries “redoubled efforts to meet the dire needs in Syria.”(AP)
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• The UN Security Council on Tuesday adopted a resolution to extend the mechanism of cross-border aid in Syria to January 10, 2023, according to a TASS reporter.

Twelve members of the Security Council voted in favor of the resolution, while the UK, the US and France abstained.

The resolution is based on the Russian proposal and provides for the extension of the mechanism of cross-border assistance for six months, with a subsequent possible extension for another six months by a separate resolution. Thus, the work of the only checkpoint, Bab al-Hawa, on the border of Syria and Turkey will continue.

In addition, according to the resolution, the UN secretary general will monthly inform the Security Council on the progress of providing aid, and every two months prepare a report on the implementation of the resolution. It also calls for bi-monthly Security Council interactive dialogue meetings with donors, regional stakeholders and representatives of international humanitarian agencies working in Syria to discuss the implementation of the resolution, including early recovery projects. [TASS]