联合国-叙利亚总统同意开放两个新的过境点火鸡联合国周一宣布，向该国叛军控制的西北部运送急需的援助和设备，以帮助数百万地震灾民。
联合国秘书长安东尼奥·古特雷斯对该协议表示欢迎叙利亚联合国领导人巴沙尔·阿萨德开放巴卜萨拉姆和拉埃的过境点，最初期限为三个月。目前，在叙利亚盟友俄罗斯的坚持下，联合国只被允许通过Bab Al-Hawa的一个过境点向伊德利卜西北部地区提供援助。
此前，阿萨德和联合国人道主义事务负责人马丁·格里菲斯(Martin Griffiths)周一早些时候在大马士革举行了会议，格里菲斯周末观看了土耳其南部和叙利亚西北部发生的7.8级地震造成的破坏。
古特雷斯的官方声明是在联合国安理会的一次闭门会议上做出的，外交官们说，格里菲斯在一次虚拟简报中宣布阿萨德同意开放两个新的过境点。
叙利亚驻联合国大使巴萨姆·萨巴格在会议期间告诉记者，阿萨德与格里菲斯举行了“积极和建设性的会议”，并“确认了紧急援助进入叙利亚所有地区的必要性，包括那些被占领和受武装恐怖组织控制的地区。”
“基于这一点，叙利亚支持人道主义援助通过所有可能的过境点进入该地区——无论是从叙利亚境内还是跨越边界——为期三个月，以确保人道主义援助送达我们在叙利亚的人民手中...叙利亚西北部，”萨巴格说。
在安理会监督叙利亚跨境问题的巴西和瑞士要求“迅速实施”开放两个新过境点的协议。
自一周前地震发生以来，联合国一直面临巨大压力，要求向叙利亚叛军控制的西北部提供更多援助和重型设备，幸存者缺乏挖掘幸存者的手段，死亡人数不断增加。
据救援组织“白盔”称，西北部叛军控制区的死亡人数已达到2166人，而根据大马士革叙利亚卫生部的数据，政府控制区已有1414人死亡。叙利亚的总死亡人数为3580人。
联合国发言人夏羽·杜哈里奇提到了叙利亚12年战争期间的运作困难。
针对联合国对地震反应不够迅速的批评，他说，一些援助正在进入西北部，并指出58辆卡车通过Bab Al-Hawa过境点运送援助物资。
但他强调，联合国没有重型设备或搜救队，“因此，整个国际社会需要加紧向需要的地方提供援助。”
古特雷斯在一份声明中说，随着死亡人数的上升，“向所有数百万受影响的人提供食品、健康、营养、保护、住所、冬季用品和其他救生用品是当务之急。”
这位联合国秘书长说:“开放这些过境点，以及促进人道主义准入，加快签证审批和缓解枢纽之间的旅行，将允许更多的援助更快地进入。”
2014年，安全理事会授权四个过境点向叙利亚西北部运送援助——两个来自土耳其，一个来自约旦，一个来自伊拉克。2020年1月，叙利亚的亲密盟友俄罗斯动用否决权威胁减少来自土耳其的过境人数。第二年7月，中国和俄罗斯动用否决权，将穿越次数减少到只有一次。
法国驻联合国大使尼古拉斯·德里维埃尔在星期一的安理会会议之前对记者说，这次地震是“一场人道主义悲剧，不应该被政治化”
他说，有两种选择——要么叙利亚政府允许额外进入西北部，要么安理会试图通过一项决议，授权增加该地区的过境点。
叙利亚的萨巴格说，不需要安理会的决议，他告诉记者，“这是我们领导层做出的决定，是叙利亚和联合国之间的协议。”
德里维埃尔在会后对记者说，联合国人道主义官员表示，他们准备派遣车队通过这三个过境点。
他说，如果两个新的过境点能够运作，那就好了，但“如果不能运作，我认为安理会应该重新开始工作”，并根据《联合国宪章》第七章研究一项决议，该决议可以在军事上强制执行，以确保援助能够到达西北部。
当被问及为什么花了一周时间才达成协议，而接触受害者的时间是至关重要的，萨巴格反驳道:“你为什么问我?我们不是控制这些边界的人。”
他重申，叙利亚从第一天起就表示，它准备协助人道主义工作者“不加歧视地”接触所有叙利亚人。
联合国发言人杜哈里奇(Dujarric)周一告诉记者，联合国一直试图派遣一支车队穿越叙利亚境内的冲突线前往西北部，但仍在努力获得各方的许可。据报道，车队被Hayat Tahrir al-Sham阻挡，这是一个与控制西北部部分地区的基地组织有联系的反叛组织。
UN says Syria agrees to open 2 new crossings for quake aid
UNITED NATIONS --Syria’s president agreed to open two new crossing points fromTurkeyto the country’s rebel-held northwest to deliver desperately needed aid and equipment to help millions of earthquake victims, the United Nations announced Monday.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the agreement bySyrian leader Bashar Assad to open crossing points at Bab Al-Salam and Al Raée for an initial period of three months. Currently, the U.N. has only been allowed to deliver aid to the northwest Idlib area through a single crossing at Bab Al-Hawa, at Syrian ally Russia’s insistence.
The announcement followed a meeting in Damascus earlier Monday between Assad and U.N. humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths, who spent the weekend viewing the devastation caused by the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that ravaged southern Turkey and northwestern Syria.
Guterres’ official announcement came during a closed meeting of the U.N. Security Council where diplomats said Griffiths announced Assad’s agreement to open the two new crossings during a virtual briefing.
Syria’s U.N. ambassador, Bassam Sabbagh, told reporters while the meeting was taking place that Assad held a “positive and constructive meeting” with Griffiths and “confirmed the need for urgent aid to enter all regions in Syria, including those under occupation and under control of the armed terrorist groups.”
“Based on that, Syria supports the entry of humanitarian aid into the region through all possible cross points whatever — from inside Syria, or across the borders — for the period of three months to ensure the delivery of humanitarian aid to our people in ... northwestern Syria," Sabbagh said.
Brazil and Switzerland, which oversee Syria cross-border issues in the council, asked for “quick implementation" of the agreement to open the two new crossings.
The United Nations has been under intense pressure to get more aid and heavy equipment into Syria’s rebel-held northwest since the earthquake struck a week ago, with survivors lacking the means to dig for survivors and the death toll mounting.
The toll in the northwestern rebel-held region has reached 2,166, according to the rescue group the White Helmets, while 1,414 people have died in government-held areas, according to the Syrian Health Ministry in Damascus. The overall death toll in Syria stands at 3,580.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric cited difficulties of operating during Syria’s 12-year war.
To criticism that the U.N. hadn’t responded quickly enough to the quake, he said some aid is getting into the northwest, pointing to 58 trucks that arrived with aid through the Bab Al-Hawa crossing.
But he stressed that the United Nations doesn’t have heavy equipment or search and rescue teams, “so the international community as a whole needs to step up to get that aid where it is needed.”
Guterres said in a statement that with the rising death toll “delivering food, health, nutrition, protection, shelter, winter supplies and other life-saving supplies to all the millions of people affected is of the utmost urgency.”
“Opening these crossing points — along with facilitating humanitarian access, accelerating visa approvals and easing travel between hubs — will allow more aid to go in, faster,” the U.N. chief said.
In 2014, the Security Council authorized four border crossings to deliver aid to northwest Syria — two from Turkey, one from Jordan and one from Iraq. In January 2020, Syria’s close ally Russia used its veto threat to reduce the number of crossing to the two from Turkey. The following July, China and Russia used their veto power to reduce the number to just a single crossing.
France’s U.N. ambassador, Nicolas De Riviere, told reporters before Monday’s council meeting that the earthquake is “a humanitarian tragedy that should not be politicized.”
He said there were two options — either the Syrian government grant additional access to the northwest or the Security Council would try to adopt a resolution authorizing additional crossing points to the region.
Syria’s Sabbagh said no council resolution was needed, telling reporters that “it’s a decision made by our leadership, and it’s an agreement between Syria and the United Nations.”
De Riviere told reporters after the meeting that U.N. humanitarian officials said they were ready to send convoys through the three crossings.
If the two new crossings work it will be fine, he said, but “if it doesn't work I think the Security Council should get back to work" and look into a resolution under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter that would be enforcible militarily to ensure aid gets through to the northwest.
Asked why it took a week to get this agreement, when time to get to victims is critical, Sabbagh retorted: “Why are you asking me? We are not the ones controlling these borders.”
He reiterated that Syria said from day one that it was ready to assist humanitarian workers to reach all Syrians “without any discrimination.”
Dujarric, the U.N. spokesman, told reporters Monday that the U.N. has been trying to send a convoy to the northwest across conflict lines within Syria, but is still trying to get a green light from all parties. The convoy reportedly was blocked by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a rebel group with ties to al-Qaida that controls part of the northwest.
