The UN yesterday prepared to deliver aid to thousands of besieged civilians in Syria as a fragile ceasefire entered its third day largely intact despite accusations of violations.
UN humanitarian coordinator Yacoub El Hillo said the world body hoped to take advantage of the first major truce in five years of conflict to distribute supplies to an extra 154,000 people living in besieged areas over the next five days.
However, French Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Marc Ayrault yesterday called for a new meeting of a UN-backed task force overseeing the ceasefire “without delay” to evaluate a range of breaches.
“We have received indications that attacks, including air strikes are continuing in areas controlled by the moderate opposition,” Ayrault told reporters in Geneva.
“This must all of course be verified. France has therefore asked that the task force overseeing the implementation of the cessation of hostilities meets without delay,” he said on the sidelines of the UN Human Rights Council.
An convoy carrying medical supplies and blankets was yesterday due to head to the town of Moadamiyet al-Sham, surrounded by regime forces south of Damascus, a UN source said.
It would be the first aid delivery since the ceasefire began on Saturday.
The UN estimates more than 480,000 Syrians live in areas besieged by government forces, rebels or jihadists of the Islamic State (IS) group or al-Qaeda.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein yesterday said thousands may have starved to death in besieged areas as the warring sides showed no respect for the rules of war.
“The deliberate starvation of people is unequivocally forbidden as a weapon of warfare. By extension, so are sieges,” he said.
The flow of aid to areas long denied it would also create a more favorable backdrop for peace talks that collapsed in acrimony in early last month. UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura aims to relaunch negotiations on Monday next week if the ceasefire lasts and more aid is delivered.
The main opposition grouping on Sunday described the ceasefire as “positive,” but lodged a formal complaint with the UN and foreign governments about breaches.
“We have violations here and there, but in general it is a lot better than before and people are comfortable,” said Salem al-Meslet, spokesman for the Saudi-backed High Negotiations Committee.
Meslet said the opposition would like to see the truce “last forever” and that it was the “responsibility of the United States to stop any violations.”
A letter from the committee to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon accused the Syrian regime and its allies of committing two dozen truce violations that had killed 29 people and wounded dozens.
It also said it has said it has been kept in the dark about the truce’s monitoring mechanism.
The ceasefire does not apply to territory held by IS and al-Qaeda affiliate al-Nusra Front.
After several days of deadly clashes, the army yesterday succeeded in reopening the government’s sole supply route into territory it holds in and around the second city of Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
At least 26 pro-government fighters and 14 IS fighters were killed in battles around the town of Khanasser, the Britain-based monitoring group said.
In Aleppo, the Observatory reported some rebel rocket fire on government-held neighborhoods early yesterday, but no casualties. It also reported nine Russian air strikes on a town in the central province of Hama, but had no immediate word on any casualties.
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