So-called “Syrian Opposition” Disrupted Humanitarian Operation in Aleppo: Zakharova

MOSCOW- Moscow has described as inhumane the disruption of the UN humanitarian operation in the Syrian city of Aleppo by the so-called “opposition”, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a comment posted on the ministry’s website on Monday, Itar Tass reported.

“We resolutely condemn the inhumane behavior of the Syrian radical opposition who thwarted the already planned UN humanitarian operation in Aleppo,” Zakharova wrote.

 “The opposition [jihadists] started putting up knowingly unacceptable and unrealistic conditions for their consent to allow the dispatch of the already formed aid truck convoy with food meant for civilians. The demonstrably defiant move clearly shows the true face of these pseudo-fighters for the Syrian people who have no scruples about using the (population’s) hard humanitarian situation for achieving their own destructive goals,” Zakharova said.

West keeps silent

According to the diplomat, Syrian militants are sabotaging UN efforts, while the West keeps silent about this.

Unfortunately, no longer surprising is the information background against which the events that happened are presented in Western and some regional capital cities, that like so much gambling on a tragic humanitarian situation in Syria,” she said.

If speaking at all about wrecking of the humanitarian operation, the West is doing this “without mentioning the fact that UN efforts in Aleppo are sabotaged by militants, who feel they are going unpunished and have gone to the length of shamelessly blackmailing UN humanitarian officers, in fact refusing to guarantee security of a humanitarian convoy when the Castello Road is used,” she said.

“Opposition” sponsors reluctant to influence clients

According to Zakharova, sponsors of the radical armed Syrian “opposition” are reluctant or unable to influence armed groups that have disrupted the operation in Aleppo.

“It is also obvious that the sponsors and patrons of the Syrian armed [opposition] have again failed to do their “homework assignment” with regard to the work with their subjects,” the spokeswoman said.

“An impression is created that instead of relieving the sufferings of Aleppo residents and normalizing the humanitarian situation, someone very much needs a different thing: to make the Aleppo tragedy and the unsolved nature of this problem stay on the front pages in the media for longer time,” the Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said.

“We expect our colleagues in the International Syria Support Group to finally restrain ‘unbridled clients’ to avoid full disruption of UN humanitarian efforts in Aleppo,” Zakharova said.

Russia ready to establish 48-hour pauses

The diplomat confirmed Russia’s readiness to establish a 48-hour-long humanitarian pause in Aleppo for delivery of relief aid into neighborhoods to where access is possible.

“For humanitarian reasons, we confirm our readiness to establish a 48-hour-long humanitarian pause for delivering aid into those neighborhoods in Aleppo to where access is possible,” she said.

H.M