British House of Commons: Britain should pressure the UN Security Council to extend the mechanism for bringing aid into Syria
The International Development Committee in the British House of Commons sent a letter to British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, urging him to work to prevent the closure of the last route of humanitarian supply across the border to Syria, to prevent a humanitarian “catastrophe.”
In her letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Committee Chair Sarah Champion called on her country’s government to pressure the UN Security Council to keep the Bab al-Hawa border crossing between Syria and Turkey open, especially as it is the last remaining border crossing point for UN humanitarian aid to cross into Syria.
The letter indicated that about three-quarters of the population of northwestern Syria depend on the United Nations aid to meet their needs, stressing that about 85 percent of that aid enters through the Bab al-Hawa crossing.
The letter indicated that there are reports that Russia will veto the extension of the decision, which means that the crossing will be closed, stressing the need to submit strong protests to members of the Security Council regarding the importance of cross-border aid to Syria, and to clarify the importance of keeping the “Bab al-Hawa” crossing open.
The letter called on the British Foreign Secretary to explain the reason for reducing the level of British aid to Syria. It totaled around £400m last year, but the amount is set to be cut in half, this year.
