EU urges immediate pause in fighting in Syria's Aleppo

BRUSSELS (AA) – The European Union on Thursday called for immediate humanitarian pause in fighting in eastern Aleppo to allow the delivery of medical aid to the Syrian city, ravaged by a civil war, which entered its sixth year.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and Commissioner for Humanitarian aid and Crisis management, Christos Stylianides, said in a joint statement: "the recent closure of the last remaining supply route has turned Eastern Aleppo in Syria into a de-facto besieged area, cutting off around 300,000 people from any form of vital assistance. Since 7 July, neither aid staff nor supplies have been allowed to enter."

"Without urgent humanitarian access food supplies are expected to run out over the next few weeks and Aleppo might well turn into the largest humanitarian tragedy of this conflict which has already brought so much suffering," the statement added.

In February, the Syrian regime cut the supply route between Aleppo’s northern countryside and opposition-held eastern neighborhood.

In early July, regime forces moved to cut Castello road, which links the contested city of Aleppo with opposition-held Idlib, imposing a total blockade on opposition-controlled areas in Aleppo.

EU urged the international community to play its role “collectively and forcefully” to help bring a solution to the Syrian crisis.

"What we need is an immediate lifting of sieges across Syria and unhindered country-wide humanitarian access," Mogherini and Stylianides said.

The EU officials said: "deliberate attacks on civilian infrastructure is a grave violation of international humanitarian law."