No deal at UN as Syria cross-border aid resolution set to expire

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - A resolution that allows humanitarian aid operations from Türkiye into Syria is at risk of being disrupted after no agreement came out of talks Thursday at the UN Security Council.

Although there is a scheduled a meeting at the security council Friday morning, it remains unclear whether there will be a vote or not.

The cross-border aid authorization is set to expire Sunday. It allows the delivery of humanitarian aid from the Cilvegozu border crossing in southern Türkiye into northwest Syria through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing.

The council negotiated two rival bills on Thursday. One was drafted by Norway and Ireland, which wants the border crossings to remain open for 12 months, and the other by Russia, which calls for a six-month extension followed by a new resolution for another six-month extension.

According to the UN, more than 2.4 million Syrians benefit from humanitarian aid delivered through Bab al-Hawa each month.

Last year, more than 9,500 trucks carrying food aid, medicine and goods to meet urgent needs crossed into Syria through Bab al-Hawa.

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said she hoped there would be a vote on Friday to extend the aid resolution for another year.

"Six months ends in January, in the middle of winter, the worst time possible," said Thomas-Greenfield, according to The Associated Press.

The UN has been aiding millions of Syrians through multiple border crossings since 2014, but from 2020, the council reduced the allowed border crossings to one, leaving Bab al-Hawa as the only option.