UNITED NATIONS, December 19. /TASS/. The United Nations Security Council has agreed on a draft resolution on evacuating civilians from Syria’s Aleppo under its supervision, Russia’s envoy to the UN Vitaly Churkin told journalists on Sunday.
"We did some good hours of work and I think we have a good text. We agreed to vote tomorrow morning, 9 o’clock (2 p.m. GMT)," the Russian diplomat said. When asked whether international monitors would be sent to Aleppo, he said, "everything is going to be great."
After the UNSC closed meeting that lasted for more than three hours, United States’ envoy Samantha Power expressed hope the resolution will be passed unanimously. The diplomat noted however she is not one hundred percent sure of that as Russia had vetoed a number of other resolutions on Syria.
"We've worked very constructively together with the representative of the Russian Federation on the text," she said. "We think that the text that is left standing is the one that includes all of the core provisions to allow for UN monitoring."
More than 100 members of the organization staying in Aleppo and also personnel of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent will be involved in the effort, she said.
The document, which is based on the texts prepared by Russia and France, underlines the need to create conditions for voluntary and safe evacuation of civilians from the eastern areas of Aleppo under the monitoring and coordinating role of the UN and other organizations.
France’s UN envoy Francois Delattre explained to journalists that the vote is scheduled for Monday to allow the delegations to have time to study the text. "The draft that we have agreed on, as I told you this morning presenting the French draft, contains our three demands: safe evacuation in accordance with international humanitarian law and principles, number one; number two, immediate and unconditional access of humanitarian assistance; number three, protection of medical facilities and personnel. All this under UN observation and monitoring," he said.