WASHINGTON — The Syrian government has told the UN Security Council it will grant the United Nations permission to use the Bab al-Hawa crossing to deliver aid, according to a letter obtained by Al-Monitor.
Syrian ambassador to the United Nations Bassam Sabbagh said Thursday the Syrian government has “taken the sovereign decision to grant the United Nations and its specialized agencies permission to use Bab al-Hawa crossing … in full cooperation and coordination with the Syrian Government.”
According to the letter, which was sent to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres and UK Ambassador Barbara Woodward, and circulated to council members Thursday, the access will last for 6 months beginning Thursday.
The document also said that Syria “renews its demand to allow the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to supervise and facilitate the distribution of humanitarian aid in areas controlled by terrorist organizations in northwest Syria.”
The Syrian announcement comes two days after the 15-member body failed to reauthorize a cross-border aid mechanism, which for nearly a decade has allowed the United Nations to deliver food, fuel, medicine and other assistance to areas outside the control of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government.
On Tuesday, Moscow vetoed a Swiss and Brazilian-drafted compromise resolution to extend the UN mechanism by nine months.
Along with China, Assad’s ally Russia has used its veto power since 2020 to eliminate three of the original four border crossings from neighboring Turkey, Iraq and Jordan that were established by the Security Council in 2014.
The Russians argue the cross-border operation is a violation of Syrian sovereignty and say humanitarian assistance should instead be delivered from inside the country in what’s known as “cross-line” delivery.
This story is breaking and will be updated.
