Mechanism for cross-border aid delivery should be terminated as soon as possible: China

China’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Zhang Jun has called for terminating the mechanism for cross-border aid delivery into Syria as soon as possible, urging respecting Syria’s  sovereignty in this regard.

“The Security Council must come up with a clear timetable for the termination of cross-border delivery as soon as possible, and advance the gradual transition from cross-border relief to a cross-line approach,” Zhang Jun said during a Security Council session after voting on the draft resolutions on extending cross-border humanitarian aid deliveries to Syria.

“China always supports the UN and the international community in carrying out humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people in accordance with the principles of humanity, neutrality, and impartiality,” he said. “China is also actively providing various types of assistance to Syria through various channels, playing a constructive role in improving the local humanitarian situation and overcoming the difficulties in its economy and people’s livelihood.”

Referring to China’s stance on resolving the humanitarian issue in Syria, the envoy said that “we must fully respect the sovereignty of Syria and the ownership of the Syrian Government, and cross-line relief should become the main channel for humanitarian assistance in Syria.”

“The Security Council must put forward specific requirements on improving the efficiency and scale of cross-line relief, and push all parties to strengthen relevant capacity building, effectively ensure the safety of relief channels, and support the work of international humanitarian agencies,” Zhang added.

Turning to the early recovery projects, the ambassador said that they can bring self-generated impetus to the recovery and development of the Syrian economy.

Talking about unilateral sanctions, the envoy said that such sanctions “have greatly weakened the Syrian Government’s ability to raise resources and carry out reconstruction, which is the most important obstacle to improving the humanitarian situation in Syria.”

Russia has vetoed a Western draft resolution of the United Nations Security Council on the extension of the Mechanism for Cross-Border Aid Delivery (CBM) from Turkey into Syria for one more year – till July 2023.

During the same session an alternative Russian draft resolution was vetoed by the United States, France and the United Kingdom under the pretext that it would not allow enough time to plan operations.

China abstained from voting on the first one and voted in favor of the second.

Hamda Mustafa