Raed Al Saleh, head of the White Helmets, Syria’s Civil Defense, described as “little and late” the visit to the area devastated by the earthquake on February 6 by the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator of UN, Martin Griffiths. The official admitted on Twitter having “failed” the villagers of northwestern Syria
The head of the White Helmets, Raed Al Saleh, demanded the immediate opening of additional cross-border routes in northwestern Syria and criticized the slow response of the UN to provide aid during a humanitarian catastrophe, while launching a request for immediate action of the Secretary General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, specifies a statement released this Sunday February 12 on The White Helmets website, the Syrian Civil Defense formed in 2013, in the middle of the civil war, by volunteers.
UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffithsacknowledged this Sunday that his organization has “failed the people in northwestern Syria”, one of the areas most affected by the earthquakes that hit the country and where hardly any humanitarian aid has arrived.
“So far we have failed the people in northwestern Syria. They rightly feel abandoned, looking for international help that has not arrived,” Griffiths said on his Twitter account, indicating that he is on the Turkish-Syrian divide, without specifying which side, quoted a note from the EFE news agency.
Trucks with UN relief are rolling into north-west #Syria.
I am encouraged by the scale-up of convoys from the UN transshipment center at the Turkish border.
We need to open more access points and get more aid out fast. pic.twitter.com/EK2ZLSxb5l
— Martin Griffiths (@UNReliefChief) February 12, 2023
Raed Al Saleh, said the UN official’s visit was “long overdue.” Al Saleh met Griffiths at the border crossing to demand the immediate opening of additional cross-border routes without waiting for UN Security Council approval.
After meeting @UNReliefChief at the Turkish-Syrian border today, we appreciate the apologies for the shortcomings and mistakes. Recognizing this is the beginning of the right path. Now @UNarabic must act outside the Security Council to open 3 crossings for emergency aid to NW #Syria,” Raed Al Saleh wrote on Twitter.
After meeting today with @UNReliefChief at Turkish-Syrian border, we appreciate the apology for the shortcomings & mistakes. Acknowledging this is the beginning to the right path. Now @UNarabic must act outside Security Council to open 3 crossings for emergency aid to NW #Syria. pic.twitter.com/A90knazX48
— Raed Al Saleh ( رائد الصالح ) (@RaedAlSaleh3) February 12, 2023
“Since the time the earthquake struck seven days ago, we have asked the UN to send urgent assistance to help our rescue operations in northwestern Syria. For days these calls went unanswered and during this time countless lives have been needlessly lost.. This visit is too little, too late. The failure of the UN to act quickly to save Syrian lives in the face of a humanitarian catastrophe is absolutely shameful and should be a stain on its conscience,” the White Helmets statement quoted.
«Waiting for authorization from the UN Security Council to reopen more border crossings to the northwest is completely wrong, this unnecessary stalemate will only cost more lives. There can be no more delays. We urgently need the UN to open more border crossings into northwestern Syria so that cross-border humanitarian aid can flow unimpeded. If medical aid deliveries are not stepped up quickly, the UN will have more blood on its hands.”
“The Syria Campaign has launched a petition to demand that UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres take immediate action to ensure that all crossing points into northwestern Syria are used effectively and to deliver aid, equipment and technical support on the ground immediately”, ends the statement of the White Helmets.
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