UN Syria aid vote likely on Friday

The UN Security Council will likely vote on a draft resolution to boost humanitarian aid access in war-torn Syria on Friday, diplomats said, but whether Russia and China would support or veto the Western- and Arab-backed text was unclear.

Australia, Jordan and Luxembourg finalized the draft on Wednesday, which includes demands for cross-border aid access, an end to shelling and aerial bombardment - including barrel bombs - and threatens "further steps" in the event of noncompliance.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that Russia would block the adoption of a resolution that allowed aid convoys to enter Syria without the consent of the Damascus government. He also warned earlier on Wednesday that the draft resolution should not be "politicized".

"If nobody in the Security Council seeks to politicize this issue, to promote one-sided approaches, I am convinced we will be able to reach an agreement in the coming days," Lavrov told a Gulf states meeting in Kuwait, Interfax news agency reported.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China was actively participating in the process of producing a resolution.

"We believe that, in the current circumstances, the action by the Security Council should be conducive to pushing for a political solution to the Syria problem," she told reporters in Beijing.

"The action should also respect the UN's guiding principles on humanitarian aid, upholding fairness and neutrality."

The presentation to the council was confirmed in a tweet by the Australian ambassador, Gary Quinlan.

The text, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, calls on all parties to end sieges of densely populated areas immediately.

It lists several, including the city of Homs, the Palestinian camp at Yarmuk, near Damascus, and Ghouta, on the outskirts of the capital.

The text also calls on all parties, in particular the Syrian authorities, to authorize NGOs and UN agencies access to swift, safe and unfettered humanitarian aide, including across front lines and borders.

The United Nations has said that more than 100,000 people have been killed in the Syrian civil war since 2011.

This cross-border access has been sought for some time by humanitarian groups so aid can be shipped directly into Syria from neighboring countries such as Iraq and Turkey. The government has refused so far.

The demands are addressed to both sides in the war but especially the government, as the text said it is mainly responsible for protecting civilians.

The resolution has no clause allowing for sanctions in case of noncompliance.

But it leaves this option open for the council if Secretary General Ban Ki-moon deems it appropriate. Ban would have 30 days once the text is passed to decide if additional measures are needed in case of noncompliance.

But this would require another vote by the Security Council, and Russia is likely to veto it.

Diplomats say Moscow is adamantly against any explicit mention of sanctions against Syria, and throughout the discussions within the council tried to soften criticism of the Syrian government.

AFP-Reuters

(China Daily 02/21/2014 page11)