The UN Security Council on Friday held an emergency meeting at the request of Germany, Belgium and Kuwait to discuss the situation in Idlib province. Several countries expressed concern about a new humanitarian crisis in the region during the meeting which came as a follow-up to the closed session the Council held last week.
UN political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo said that the military escalation by the regime and Russia in Idlib has so far displaced more than 120,000 people.
DiCarlo stressed that the Assad regime and Russian claims must not justify putting the lives of three million people at risk.
“Let us unite today for the first step – to support an immediate de-escalation of the violence in greater Idlib and work towards a political solution that meets the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people”, she concluded,” DiCarlo told the Council.
UN aid chief Mark Lowcock told the Council that at least 160 civilians have been reportedly killed in the region over the past three weeks. He added that an all-out offensive in Idlib would surpass the UN’s capability to provide humanitarian assistance to the local population.
Lowcock pointed out that humanitarian agencies were unable to assist the displaced persons in Syria’s north of Syria as he expressed his deep concern over the continued airstrikes in the region. He said that 49 health centers had partially or totally suspended activities, some for fear of being attacked, while 17 schools have been damaged or destroyed and many more closed
Turkey’s ambassador to the United Nations, Feridun Sinirlioğlu, warned of a possible disaster in the province of Idlib, expressing serious concern over the regime’s violations of the ceasefire which exceeded 600 violations.
Sinirlioğlu pointed out that the regime forces were deliberately targeting civilians, schools and hospitals, stressing that the Idlib agreement has so far averted a disaster in the region. He called for preserving the agreement for the safety of millions of people.
Vice-President of the Syrian Coalition, Badr Jamous, called on the UN Security Council to take a clear, firm stance towards the Assad regime’s grave military campaign against Idlib and rural Hama. He stressed that the ongoing bombing campaign will have a negative impact on the political process and the humanitarian situation.
“The UN Security Council’s failure to protect civilians means that the lives of more than four million people will be at huge risk,” Jamous said in a special statement on Friday. “The UN Security Council is required to ensure protection for civilians in Idlib and Hama and provide them with urgent humanitarian and medical aid. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
