The Syrian Coalition said that the UN Security Council is facing a “moral challenge” as its members will convene today to vote on a draft resolution calling for a 30-day ceasefire in Syria.
The vote comes as the Damascus suburb of eastern Ghouta is coming under a fierce military offensive by regime forces and their allies which killed hundreds of civilians, including many women and children in the past three days.
Secretary-General of the Coalition Nazir al-Hakim said: “The continued failure of the UN Security Council to assume its responsibilities is no longer acceptable. The vote on the draft resolution today poses a moral challenge and any failure will damage the credibility of the international system.”
Hakim also said that the Coalition stands ready to participate in today’s meeting to brief the UN Security Council on the dire humanitarian situation in Syria, especially in eastern Ghouta.
Hakim pointed out that what is happening in many Syrian cities and towns, especially in eastern Ghouta, shows how the Assad regime and its backers are exploiting the political initiatives and the political and negotiating process in Geneva. “The ball is now in the court of the UN Security Council. We look forward for the session to be held later today,” Hakim said.
The draft resolution, which was presented by Kuwait and Sweden, calls for allowing medical evacuations and the delivery of humanitarian aid to the besieged and affected areas.
The US ambassador to the UN called for an end to human suffering in the besieged eastern Ghouta. In a statement on Wednesday, Nikki Haley urged the Security Council to pass a draft resolution calling for a 30-day ceasefire in Eastern Ghouta.
“It’s time to take immediate action in the hopes of saving the lives of the men, women, and children who are under attack by the barbaric Assad regime,” Haley said.
France on Tuesday said that the bombings on eastern Ghouta by the Assad regime and its allies “constitute a serious violation of international humanitarian law.”
“These indiscriminate attacks deliberately target inhabited areas and civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities. They constitute a serious violation of international humanitarian law,” read a statement by the French Foreign Ministry. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department + Agencies)
