Mike Pompeo condemns Russia and China for blocking humanitarian aid to Syria

(Patria) – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Saturday that Russia and China have "blood on their hands" by vetoing a UN Security Council resolution, thereby blocking cross-border humanitarian aid from Turkey and Iraq intended for millions of civilians in Syria.

- The veto cast yesterday by the Russian Federation and China on the Security Council resolution that would allow humanitarian aid to reach millions of Syrians is shameful, Secretary Pompeo said in a statement.  

He told Russia and China that by opposing the resolution, they have "blood on their hands," which he also called a "political stance."

- Russia and China are the only countries that have blocked UNSCR 2449 resolution on Syrian cross-border humanitarian aid. The international community has provided more than $30 billion in humanitarian aid that is being sent through these crossings. It is shameful to stop this aid, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on his Twitter profile.

Russia, with the support of China, cast its 14th veto on Friday since the beginning of the conflict in Syria in 2011.

Humanitarian aid sent to Syria from Turkey through UN checkpoints without the formal approval of the Syrian regime is essential for the population in northeastern Syria.

The UN Security Council is considering two alternative resolutions that would allow cross-border humanitarian aid deliveries.

A draft resolution supported by Belgium, Kuwait, and Germany envisages cross-border humanitarian deliveries for another year from two points in Turkey and one in Iraq. However, Russia, as an ally of the Syrian regime, has agreed only to deliveries from Turkey, and for 6 months.

Ursula Mueller, Assistant Secretary-General of OCHA, the UN humanitarian agency, said that the humanitarian situation is significantly worse than last year, and that nothing justifies reducing the number of border crossings for humanitarian aid.

- Without the cross-border operation, we immediately lose humanitarian aid for millions of civilians. This would lead to a rapid increase in hunger and disease, resulting in more deaths, suffering, and further displacement of the population – including across borders – for a vulnerable population already suffering deeply from the unspeakable tragedy resulting from the nine-year conflict, Mueller stated.