Guterres supports the lifting of sanctions against the Syrian regime to facilitate humanitarian aid

António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations Organization, endorsed the idea this Wednesday that the Security Council consider opening more border posts to send aid to the territory of Syria affected by the earthquake, which he described as an "epic disaster".

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
14 February 2023 Tuesday 03:41
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Guterres supports the lifting of sanctions against the Syrian regime to facilitate humanitarian aid

António Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations Organization, endorsed the idea this Wednesday that the Security Council consider opening more border posts to send aid to the territory of Syria affected by the earthquake, which he described as an "epic disaster". That border area with Turkey is under the control of the rebels.

In his appearance before the press at the New York headquarters, Guterres made clear his position that humanity comes before political strategy when considering the coercive measures imposed by the UN on the Damascus government.

When asked if these impositions should be lifted for the occasion, the secretary general replied that "this is a moment in which we must all be very clear that the sanctions of no one interfere with the relief to the Syrian population."

"It is time to explore all possible ways to bring aid and personnel to the affected areas. We have to put people first," said the United Nations president.

In this line of solidarity, Guterres' appearance was marked by his request that access to northwest Syria be facilitated from Turkey. "It will make me happy," he stressed, if the United Nations can use more than one border post to provide aid to those affected by the tragedy of the earthquake that has caused devastation in the region.

The Syrian regime, which wants to centralize everything through Damascus, sees distributing aid in rebel territory as a violation of its sovereignty and integrity. Since 2014, the UN Security Council established the mandate to allow the transit of aid to reach people who are in needy areas without having to go through the capital.

But the president of Sira, Bashar al Asad, with the collaboration of Russia, has reduced the crossing points to only one over time, that of Bab al Hawa, through which the first UN convoy made up of six trucks entered on Thursday. , remarked the secretary general.

Guterres insisted that "this is not the time for politicization", with at least 20,000 deaths since Monday's earthquake, but that it is time to explore other possible accesses to introduce everything necessary in the region hit by the earthquake.

"Many other non-UN cooperation agencies have already been able to distribute aid through other crossing points," he said. For this reason, he suggested that maximum access should be sought for United Nations teams.

After noting that Martin Griffiths, the UN humanitarian chief, will go to the scene of the tragedy this weekend, Guterres did not reveal whether he has asked the Syrian executive to allow more entry routes through its borders, but he did specify that the Council Security has the capacity to determine it.

“It is obvious that we need massive support,” he reiterated. And he expressed that he will be more than satisfied if the organization's executive body reaches "a consensus to allow more access."