Jo Cox, Labor MP for Batley and Spen, is urging the U.K. government to take a tougher stance over sending aid to besieged towns in Syria. Cox said that the U.K. should encourage the United Nations in asserting that agencies shouldn't need to ask permission from the Syrian government in delivering aid to areas in need.
100 Syrian humanitarian workers issued an open letter last week stating that the U.N. had been very obedient to Syria's terms for fear of losing its workers' visas, The Guardian noted Friday. Reports say U.N. authorities still need to ask Syria for permission to send aid, instead of just sending notification.
"Those whose loved ones die from malnutrition-related illnesses or a lack of basic medical care will never forgive the UN staff who sit minutes away in luxury hotels, within earshot of the bombing," the humanitarian workers said in their letter.
In a statement addressed to UK's international development secretary Justine Greening, Cox said that previous UN Security Council resolutions stated that aid should delivered through major direct routes, requiring only notification to Syrian authorities.
"Whilse, of course, safety assessments and access negotiation should be carried out, do you agree that it would be sufficient for UN agencies to notify the Syrian authorities of deliveries rather than seek official permission, as is currently being requested from the Syrian ministry of foreign affairs for every aid delivery?" Cox asked in a letter to Greening.
Cox also pointed out that the December report of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) gave a vague detail as to "which parties blocked access to those aid deliveries that were unsuccessful."
"The current OCHA reporting makes this extremely unclear. The UN would surely not be compromising its impartiality by plainly reporting which groups are denying access to the deliveries that the security council has given it authorization to implement. This would permit the UK and others to use this information to help pressure allies of the Assad regime, such as Russia and Iran, for greater access," Cox added.
Many towns in Syria have been under siege by ISIS in the last 13 months, The Huffington Post wrote. Due to the lack of food and medical supplies, many have died from malnutrition, with 30 claimed cases of death so far. Because of the risky situation in the area, countries have been sending airdrops of food and other necessities to aid starving towns.
But even airdrops pose risks without permission from Syrian government.
"If we fly aircraft over Syria without the permission of the Syrian Government, then there is a real danger that they will take action against them. And that is not going to help anybody," a Security Council diplomat said.
Valerie Szybala, executive director of the Syria Institute, said that anyone who enters the Syrian airspace without consent runs the risk of being shot down.
Meanwhile, the United Nations is set to hold peace talks on Monday with Syrian parties to discuss humanitarian access and other key issues. The peace talks will also pave the way for the pledgling conference on Feb. 4 in London, which will be attended by Germany, Iran and other countries.
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