UN: Syria blocking aid

Syria’s government is holding up delivery of UN aid that was supposed to move unhindered under a US-Russian peace deal, United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said on Thursday.

“The government, I repeat the government, was expected to provide ... permits, authorizations,” de Mistura told reporters in Geneva. They “have not been received,” he added.
The lack of permission was “a very major disappointment” even for Syria’s ally Russia, de Mistura said.
The reduction in violence since the US-Russia agreement came into force at sunset on Monday had been substantial, but expecting a “cessation of hostilities” was perhaps ambitious after a war of five years, he said.
His humanitarian adviser Jan Egeland said there had been no reports of civilian killings in the past 24 hours and attacks on schools and hospitals had stopped.
Egeland said aid convoys could reach besieged zones such as Moadamiyah, al Waer and Douma by the end of the week if the permits were issued, which would be simple to do.
“Can well-fed grown men please stop putting political, bureaucratic and procedural roadblocks for brave humanitarian workers that are willing to go to serve women, children, wounded civilians in besieged and crossfire areas?” Egeland said.
De Mistura said some people had used the argument that offices were closed during this week’s Muslim Eid holiday, and the Syrian government had been “a little bit slow” during Eid, but he would not accept that as a valid reason.
De Mistura and Egeland said that delay was caused by lack of guarantees from all sides of safe and secure access for the convoy.

Source: Arab News