Russia has been accused of a “lack of humanity” in Syria by the UK’s Ambassador to the UN Karen Pierce as Great Britain has called on the Assad regime and Russia to agree to a ceasefire to end the humanitarian crisis in Idlib.
“Russia and the Syria regime don’t really care what price has to be paid by civilians,” Pierce told Sky News. “That’s the main thing — to get the Russians to restrain the Syrians and stop aiding them in the bombings that they’re doing, including the bombing of hospitals, which is against the Geneva Convention.”
Pierce accused Moscow of abusing the UN veto system to protect and help Bashar Assad, who she said was “attacking his own people.”
Pierce said the UN had recently been given a “sobering and frightening” briefing about the humanitarian crisis in Syria, where nearly 1 million people have been forced to flee Idlib since Dec. 1 amid attacks by regime forces supported by Russia.
Meanwhile, the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, on Friday called for an immediate ceasefire in Idlib province, stressing that the suffering of the people must stop immediately. Guterres told reporters that more than 900,000 civilians, mostly women and children, have been displaced in northwestern Syria as Russia, the Assad regime forces and Iranian militias have pressed on with an all-out offensive they have launched in the region for months.
The Syrian National Coalition earlier stressed that Russia is effectively playing a criminal role in Syria. It said that Russia is a major party to the conflict which makes its use of its veto power illegal according to Article 27 of the United Nations Charter which barred states that are parties to conflicts from voting. (Source: Syrian National Coalition’s Media Department)
