“We appeal to lift the siege and economic sanctions imposed on Syria to face the repercussions of the devastating earthquake”, says Habbouti

Damascus, (ST) – The Head of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, Eng. Khaled Hboubati appealed for lifting the siege and economic sanctions imposed on Syria to  help the country face the repercussions of the devastating earthquake.

During a press conference on Tuesday, Habbouti said “we need heavy equipment, ambulances, and firefighting vehicles to continue to rescue and remove the rubble, and this requires the lifting of sanctions on Syria as soon as possible.

Habbouti added that the number of victims is likely to rise, and a number of buildings are still at risk of collapsing. “The results of the earthquake are catastrophic, and our volunteers are ready, but we lack equipment”, he said.

“The rescue process is exposed to many obstacles, the first of which is the lack of mechanisms for saving people, in addition to the sanctions  that are the main obstacle to reach these mechanisms”, Habbouti explained.

Habbouti indicated that the government has allocated 126 shelters in Aleppo, 23 in Lattakia, 5 in Hama, 3 in Homs, and 3 in Tartous to help those affected.

Habbouti said “we have received phone calls from Syrian expatriates in several countries who seek to provide donations and we will open an account in the Syrian banks to receive donations.”

Habbouti made a national and humanitarian appeal: “donor countries are requested to cooperate to lift the blockade”.

Raghda Sawas