Syrian President Urges Emergency Aid for All Quake-Hit Areas, Including Militant-Held Districts
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad called for emergency humanitarian aid to be delivered to all earthquake-devastated towns and cities in northwestern Syria, including those not under government control.
This was discussed in a meeting with Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the United Nations Martin Griffiths, who appreciated the Syrian government's prompt response in terms of disaster relief operations.
The UN supports search and rescue operations in Syria and will facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid into the northwestern part of the country.
Meanwhile, Syria's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Bassam Sabbagh, dismissed the US decision to issue a six-month sanctions exemption for all transactions related to providing disaster relief, stating that the measure would be "insufficient" to offset the long-term dire consequences of the coercive measures.
He stressed the timely delivery of humanitarian aid to all quake-hit regions, opening more border crossings in the northern sector of the country for an initial period of three months to ensure this.
The death toll from the 7.8-magnitude earthquake that struck Syria on February 6 has risen to 5,814, with the biggest proportion of the fatalities occurring in the territory held by Takfiri terrorist groups.
