Red Crescent warns of ‘inhuman’ Syria aid route closure

The Turkish Red Crescent chief on Thursday denounced as “inhuman” a possible closure of a key aid route into Syria caused by Russia wielding its UN Security Council veto.

The Bab Al-Hawa crossing from Turkey into Syria will close on July 10 unless it receives authorization from the UN body to stay open for another year.

Russia, a major ally of President Bashar Assad, prefers to see the aid delivered from Damascus, arguing that the crossing is used to supply rebel fighters with arms.

“The fate of millions of people in need is likely to be affected negatively by a veto … Such a decision will be unfair and inhuman,” the NGO’s president, Kerem Kinik, told AFP.

Russia has come under intense pressure from the UN, US and others who warn of dire humanitarian repercussions for Syrians in rebel strongholds if the crossing is closed.

A top EU official said on Thursday that the potential closure of the only remaining border crossing would have “catastrophic” consequences for millions of civilians. Janez Lenarcic, EU commissioner for Crisis Management, urged the UN Security Council to vote to keep the border crossing operational and for other border crossings to be reopened. He made the comments during a visit to Bab Al-Hawa ahead of a crucial July 10 vote at the Security Council on whether to keep the crossing — which provides UN-coordinated assistance to more than 2.4 million Syrians — open. “This operation means life for millions of people on the other side of the border,” Lenarcic told reporters at the Turkish border province of Hatay. “Non-renewal of this lifeline across Bab Al-Hawa would have tremendous, dramatic humanitarian consequences for millions of people who depend on this lifeline.” “I trust that the members of the UN Security Council will appreciate the importance of preserving … this lifeline,” he said. “The consequences for human lives would be catastrophic.”

Turkey has supported rebel fighters against Assad throughout the decade-long conflict and has a military presence in northern Syria.
Last month, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey wanted the border crossing to remain open, adding that he was holding talks at the UN to address Russia’s reluctance.

Kinik said failure to extend the cross-border aid risks triggering a new wave of migrants at Turkey’s door.

“We are carrying out a major operation to keep (Syrians) in their own territory,” he said.

“In case of a possible closure of this border, the population will be deprived of support and we’ll face the risk of migrants.”

On a visit to a Turkish town on the border with Syria, EU Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic also called for keeping the border crossing open.

“This is a critical time for what is one of the largest humanitarian operations out there,” he told journalists in the town of Reyhanli in southern Turkey.

“This operation means life for millions of people on the other side of the border — where 3.5 million people depend on humanitarian assistance provided through this border crossing.”

The commissioner urged members of the council to agree on the renewal of the authorization for the humanitarian operation.