United Nations, United States – Syria has extended by another three months border crossings from Turkey into rebel-held areas that had been reopened following a devastating February earthquake, the United Nations said Tuesday.
It is the second three-month extension by Syria of use by UN humanitarian workers to the Bab al-Salam and Al-Rai crossings, opened after the earthquake following international pressure.
“We greatly welcome the extension of permission by the Government of Syria to utilize the Bab al-Salam and Al Rai border crossings until November 13,” said Eri Kaneko, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
The February 6 quake in Turkey and war-ravaged Syria killed more than 55,000 people and left thousands in border areas even more reliant on international assistance.
The latest move stands in contrast to the failure to extend a separate key aid route into Syria — the Bab al-Hawa crossing from Turkey.
Russia last month vetoed a nine-month extension then failed to muster enough votes to adopt a six-month extension. Syria said it would still temporarily allow use of the crossing but the United Nations denounced conditions as unacceptable.
Russia is the main international ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who is looking to show that he has solidified control after more than a decade of brutal civil war.