UN postpones vote on extending cross-border aid delivery to Syria

By Betul Yuruk

UNITED NATIONS (AA) - The UN Security Council on Monday postponed a vote to renew a cross-border mechanism that allows the use of the Bab al-Hawa border crossing through Türkiye to deliver humanitarian aid to northwestern Syria.

The 15-member Council was scheduled to vote on a resolution drafted by Switzerland and Brazil seeking to extend the humanitarian mechanism for 12 months.

But Russia insists on only a six-month extension and submitted a rival resolution.

The current authorization was set to expire on Monday.

The humanitarian mechanism allows the delivery of aid to some 4 million people in Syria.

Negotiations are ongoing to avoid a veto by Russia, a diplomat told Anadolu.

Last week, UN aid chief Martin Griffiths called on the Security Council to open more crossing points.

The long-running aid operation has been in place since 2014.

For years, Syria’s Bashar al-Assad regime has sought to get rid of the aid mechanism with the help of Russia, which would prevent access to the northwest of Syria, which is controlled by rebels.

The aid delivery was reduced to one border crossing from four in the years when Russia and China vetoed UN resolutions seeking to preserve the cross-border aid lifeline.