Syria grants permission to UN to use Bab al-Hawa crossing for aid delivery

By Betul Yuruk

UNITED NATIONS (AA) - Syria granted permission to the UN on Thursday to use the Bab al-Hawa border crossing for aid delivery after the UN Security Council failed to extend the humanitarian mechanism earlier this week.

''The Government of the Syrian Arab Republic has taken the sovereign decision to grant the United Nations and its specialized agencies permission to use the Bab al-Hawa crossing to deliver humanitarian aid to civilians in need in northwest Syria in full cooperation and coordination with the Syrian Government, for a period of 6 months, starting from July 13, 2023,'' said the Syrian envoy to the UN in a letter sent to the UN Security Council seen by Anadolu.

The UN had to end its aid operations through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing after the UN Security Council failed to adopt either of two rival resolutions to extend cross-border aid delivery from Türkiye into northern Syria.

Western countries were seeking a nine-month extension, but Russia insisted on only a six-month extension.

The long-running aid operation, which has been in place since 2014 and allowed the delivery of aid to 4 million people in Syria through the Bab al-Hawa crossing, expired on Monday.

Aid deliveries continue through the Bab al-Salam and al-Raee crossings, which were opened following earthquakes in February and have been extended through Aug. 13.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad allowed the use of the two crossings for an initial period of three months.

But the Syrian government has not given a green light to keep the Bab al-Salam and al-Raee crossings open for aid delivery, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said earlier.