UN Urges Extension of Cross-border Syria Aid Mechanism

A UN convoy arrived at camp in Syria's Idlib - File/ The AP
A UN convoy arrived at camp in Syria's Idlib - File/ The AP
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UN Urges Extension of Cross-border Syria Aid Mechanism

A UN convoy arrived at camp in Syria's Idlib - File/ The AP
A UN convoy arrived at camp in Syria's Idlib - File/ The AP

A UN official visiting Syria's Idlib on Tuesday urged a 12-month extension of a cross-border aid mechanism to the opposition-held, quake-hit region, just days before the current six-month period expires.

"There is no substitute in size and scope to the UN cross-border resolution if we want to meet the needs of the most vulnerable people in northwest Syria," said David Carden, the United Nations deputy regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syria crisis, AFP reported.

"It's a joint message that you're hearing from the UN, the NGOs and the communities themselves in northwest Syria about the need for a 12-month renewal of the cross-border resolution," he told a press conference at a World Food Program (WFP) warehouse in Sarmada.

The mechanism, which is renewed by a vote of the Security Council, allows vital UN assistance to reach people in opposition-held northwest Syria without navigating areas controlled by government forces.

It was last renewed in January and is set to expire on July 10.

Carden said a 12-month extension of the resolution would "ensure that aid will continue to flow during the desperate winter months. It will ensure that early recovery programmes can be implemented."

The UN largely delivers the relief via neighboring Türkiye through the Bab al-Hawa crossing, which is controlled on the Syrian side by militant group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

After a February 6 earthquake devastated parts of Türkiye and Syria, Damascus agreed to open two more crossings from Türkiye- Bab al-Salama and Al-Rai -- for three months, and in May extended that access for another three-month period.

"There are 4.1 million people in need in northwest Syria," Carden said, adding that "the needs are immense. They've got more severe since the earthquake."

"The United Nations and its partners have been reaching 2.7 million people with aid every month," he added, noting that "about 75 to 80 percent of the trucks that cross the border through Bab al-Hawa into Idlib contain food."

Syria's war has killed more than half a million people and displaced millions since erupting in 2011 with a brutal crackdown on anti-government protests.

The number of UN-approved crossings has shrunk from four in 2014 after years of pressure from regime allies China and Russia at the UN Security Council.

For years, Moscow has pressured international organizations to pass exclusively through regions under the control of Damascus to distribute aid throughout the country -- going as far as vetoing cross-border extensions that exceeded six months.



Lebanese Govt. to Seek New IMF Program, Policy Statement Says

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas//File Photo
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas//File Photo
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Lebanese Govt. to Seek New IMF Program, Policy Statement Says

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas//File Photo
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) logo is seen outside the headquarters building in Washington, U.S., September 4, 2018. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas//File Photo

Lebanon's new government will negotiate with the International Monetary Fund for a new program and will work to deal with the country's financial default and public debt, according to a policy statement approved by the cabinet late on Monday.

The statement, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters, said the government would work for an economical revival that could only be achieved through restructuring the banking sector.

Lebanon has been in deep economic crisis since 2019, when its financial system collapsed under the weight of massive state debts, prompting a sovereign default in 2020 and freezing ordinary depositors out of their savings in the banking system.

Beirut reached a draft funding deal with IMF in 2022 - contingent on reforms that authorities failed to deliver.

Finance Minister Yassine Jaber, who took office as part of a new government agreed earlier this month, told Reuters an IMF mission is expected to visit Lebanon in March.

Jaber said he had met the IMF's resident representative in Lebanon, Frederico Lima, and confirmed that the government plans to move ahead with reforms.

Lebanon's political landscape has been turned on its head since the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, long a dominant player in Lebanese politics, was badly pummelled in last year's war with Israel.

Reflecting the shift in the power balance, the government policy statement did not include language used in previous years that was seen to legitimize a role for Hezbollah in defending Lebanon, saying instead "we want a state that has the decision of war and peace".

The statement said it was required to adopt a national security strategy and a foreign policy that works to 'neutralize' Lebanon from conflicts.

In the field of energy, the Lebanese government will seek to resume work in oil and gas exploration, according to the cabinet statement. It said the government planned to establish a Ministry of Technology and Artificial Intelligence.

With a new administration in neighboring Syria, the statement said the Lebanese government believed it has an opportunity to start a serious dialogue aimed at controlling and demarcating the borders and working to resolve the issue of displaced Syrians in Lebanon.