UK calls for UNSC assessment of humanitarian access in Syria

NEW YORK, June 2 (KUNA) -- Britain called for an emergency Security Council session on Friday to "formally" hear from the UN if they were able to grant humanitarian access to any of the designated besieged areas in Syria.
This was confirmed to the press by British permanent representative to the UN headquarters in New York, Matthew Rycroft.
He said that his country fully supported the call of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) for air drops to besieged areas, if access had not been granted via land.
As the deadline of the full access to besieged areas loomed fast, the British official told the press, "at this stage what we are asking for is a formal assessment from the UN, and then for them to begin the preparations for the airdrops." In Vienna last month, the ISSG said in a statement that if the UN was denied humanitarian access to any of the designated besieged areas, the ISSG calls on the World Food Program to immediately carry out a program for air bridges and air drops for all areas in need.
"The ISSG pledges to support such a program, and also calls on all parties to the cessation of hostilities to provide a secure environment for that program," the statement added.
The UN Secretary General's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told the press Wednesday, that the inter-agency convoys delivered critical life-saving assistance to two besieged towns in Rural Damascus: Darayya and Moadamiyeh. "This is the first time that the UN has been able to deliver any assistance to Darayya since November 2012," he said.
The UN official affirmed that the Darayya convoy delivered medicine, nutritional items for children and vaccines, while technical teams are assessing needs on the ground for future deliveries.
The humanitarian situation in Darayya is "dire, characterized by severe shortages of food, medicine, medical equipment and supplies, health facilities and personnel," he added.
Dujarric said that the UN is strongly advocating for another convoy to Darayya containing food in the days to come. Further, the Moadamiyeh convoy is the first of three planned convoys, bringing food for half of those in need.
It was the fifth convoy to the town this year, but the first time the UN has had access since March. (end) mao.gta