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Assad urges cooperation on aid delivery to Syrians

04 May 2014 01:30 (UTC +04:00)

In a Saturday address to Syria’s Higher Committee for Relief, President Assad described the humanitarian situation in his country as a “top priority” and stressed the need for governmental aid groups to exhaust all efforts to provide assistance to those displaced across the crisis-hit state.

“There is a need for greater cooperation between ministries and the bodies involved in humanitarian aid, and to deliver aid without delay, and to work on the ground with all the local and international stakeholders to make aid delivery smoother,” he stated.

The Syrian leader further emphasized that the government is responsible for meeting the needs of all Syrian citizens “not only in the areas where they have fled to but also in the areas under siege by the terrorists.”

President Assad’s comments came after UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said foreign aid was not reaching millions of Syrians despite a February resolution by the Security Council calling for greater access.

The UN chief said last month that approximately 9.3 million people - more than 6.5 million of them displaced by the violence - are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance within Syria.

On April 30, UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos said the measure designed by the Security Council to aid millions of people in Syria was not working.

Syria has been the scene of a bloody turmoil since March 2011. Reports say over 150,000 people have so far been killed and millions of others displaced because of the foreign-backed militancy plaguing the Arab state.

In January, the UN World Food Program (WFP) said the Takfiri militants operating in Syria are hindering the process of aid provision inside the violence-stricken country.