UN considers Syrian proposal for aid delivery via Bab al-Hawa border crossing
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United Nations: The United Nations is currently evaluating an offer made by the Damascus government that suggests that the Bab al-Hawa border crossing, which goes through Turkey, be utilized by the UN to deliver aid to northwest Syria, a spokesman said.
Stephane Dujarric, the chief spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, confirmed that the UN has received a letter from Syria's Permanent Mission to the UN, granting permission for the use of the Bab al-Hawa border crossing, reports Xinhua news agency.
The Security Council on Tuesday failed to re-authorise the Syria cross-border humanitarian aid delivery mechanism through Bab al-Hawa.
A draft resolution tabled by Brazil and Switzerland, the co-penholders on the Syria humanitarian file, was vetoed by Russia.
A competing draft resolution tabled by Russia failed to win enough positive votes.
"I'll just confirm to you that we did indeed receive the letter. We are continuing to look at it and we are consulting with a number of partners on this," Dujarric told reporters on Friday.
"That being said, we are committed to delivering life-saving assistance to millions of people in need in Northwest Syria, guided by humanitarian principles and using all available means and delivery modalities," he added.
The spokesman didn't say why the UN cannot accept the Syrian offer outright as the world body is already using two other border crossings temporarily authorized by Damascus after the massive February earthquakes.
"We're consulting with various partners. We're taking a look at the modalities, what exactly was expressed in the letter," Dujarric told the reporters.
"The letter was a substantive letter, which needs to be looked at. I will ask for your indulgence and your patience," he added.
There have been no crossings at Bab al-Hawa with UN humanitarian aid since the Security Council authorisation expired on Monday.
But the UN had pre-positioned a lot of material in the area before the deadline, he said.
With inputs from agencies