The United Nations expressed its concern on Friday over what it described as “unacceptable conditions” imposed by Damascus for the use of the Bab al-Hawa border crossing to deliver humanitarian aid to opposition-controlled areas in northwestern Syria, according to documents seen by both Reuters and Agence France-Presse (AFP).
In a document sent to the UN Security Council, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) objected to the “unacceptable conditions” specified in the letter sent by Syria on Thursday, which outlined its approval of the United Nations’ operation. The two conditions that were deemed unacceptable include a ban on communication with “terrorist-designated entities” and “supervision” of United Nations operations by other organizations.
The office stated, “First, the Syrian government insisted that the United Nations should not communicate with entities classified as terrorist… The United Nations and its implementing partners must continue to engage with relevant parties from states and non-state actors in line with operational requirements.”
The office argued that such engagement with certain entities classified as terrorist by Damascus is “indispensable for safe and timely access to needy civilians and is in line with international humanitarian law.”
The office also highlighted that Syria’s demand for the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to oversee and facilitate the distribution of humanitarian aid in northwestern Syria is “inconsistent with the independence of the United Nations and impractical as the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent are not present” in that region.
Meanwhile, the United Nations has not resumed humanitarian aid to northwestern Syria through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing, as announced by the spokesperson for the Secretary-General, stating that the organization is still studying the “conditions” set by Damascus for the use of this crossing after the expiration of the United Nations mandate.
Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, stated, “No humanitarian aid has crossed Bab al-Hawa for the United Nations.”
He added, “We are consulting with various partners. We are looking at the conditions outlined in the letter” from the Syrian authorities.
On Thursday, Damascus announced that it would allow the United Nations to use the Bab al-Hawa border crossing between Turkey and Syria for a period of six months to deliver vital humanitarian assistance to millions of people living in areas outside its control in northwestern Syria.
This announcement came after the mechanism for delivering aid from Turkey to Syria through the Bab al-Hawa crossing, which has allowed the delivery of aid to opposition-held areas without permission from Damascus since 2014, expired.
