The 15 members of the Security Council reached an agreement Monday on extending cross-border military assistance to Syria. This was reported by diplomatic sources. Last week, Russia opposed the one-year extension, but on Monday the 15 members can still agree to an extension, albeit for only six months.
The aid mechanism for areas in Syria not under the control of the Damascus regime stopped, on Sunday evening. A new vote on the resolution is scheduled for later Monday. A new vote will then have to take place in January for a six-month extension.
After approval Monday evening in New York, aid can resume through the Bab al-Hawa Turkish-Syrian border crossing. The text of the resolution also includes a request to report to the Secretary-General on humanitarian needs by 10 December at the latest.
Cross-border aid to Syria has been in place since 2014. Bab al-Hawa provides aid to more than 2.4 million people in the Idlib region, which is controlled by jihadist and opposition groups.
In recent years, Moscow has regularly vetoed this aid. Two years ago, aid was delivered through four border crossings with Turkey, Jordan and Iraq. Today, only one remains – Russia’s veto on Friday was the 17th since the start of the Syrian uprising in 2011. Moscow considers an ally of Damascus and believes that the aid mechanism violates Syrian sovereignty. The logic is that aid to the northwest can only come from Damascus.
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