Syria’s agonizing decade: Crisis and stalemate

Week in Review

idlib at 10 years of revolt — An aerial picture shows Syrians gathering on the roofs of buildings in the rebel-held city of Idlib on March 15, 2021, as they mark 10 years since the nationwide anti-government protests that sparked the country's devastating civil war. In the jihadi-dominated stronghold's main city, crowds marched down the street, some waving the opposition's three-star flag, or holding up images of those killed during the conflict. — OMAR HAJ KADOUR/AFP via Getty Images

Blinken: current approach to Syria aid is "indefensible"

On March 29, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, chairing a virtual UN Security Council meeting on Syria, called on the council to reauthorize the only border crossing for UN assistance and open two others that were shut down last year due to Russian and Chinese objections.

“The current approach is unjustified, ineffective, indefensible," Blinken said. "It is directly resulting in the increased suffering of the Syrian people."

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin responded that Russia considers the US posture as "discrimination against the Damascus-controlled regions when distributing humanitarian aid; refusal to facilitate the country’s recovery and the return of refugees; the toughening of sanctions during the COVID-19 pandemic; and the desire to maintain a cross border mechanism, which violates the standards of international humanitarian law.”

Syria’s agonizing decade: Crisis and stalemate

A US-Russia showdown over humanitarian border crossings stymies the UN peace process after 10 years of misery.

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