UNITED NATIONS, December 22. /TASS/. The West remains indifferent about the suffering of the Syrian people, just as they do not care about the population of the Gaza Strip, Russian First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyansky said.
"Generally, it must be stated that the mechanism of cross-line convoys, the need for which our Western colleagues do not dispute, is still not working. We see no particular zeal on your part to work with those whom you cowardly call ‘the authorities on the ground’ to rectify this totally unacceptable situation, which undermines the point that aid to the Syrians in Idlib must be delivered by all possible means. A conclusion begs itself that our Western colleagues do not care about the suffering of the Syrians, just as they do not care about the suffering of the Gazans," he told the UN Security Council.
"All they care about is geopolitical games and supporting their clients in the region, no matter what crimes they may commit," the Russian diplomat continued.
He reiterated that the United Nations was planning to send the first humanitarian convoy across the line of contact to the north-western regions of Syria, the first one since the non-renewal of Security Council resolution 2672, and it is anticipated to dispatch by the end of the year.
"We count on the success of this operation. After all, as they keep telling us, the humanitarian needs in the regions of that part of the country outside Damascus' control remain high," Polyansky said.
He also said that the humanitarian potential of the Bab Al-Hawa crossing point should not be used by the United Nations personnel from the Gaziantep Office "for spontaneous visits to Idlib that are not coordinated with Damascus."
"On this matter, OCHA must report strictly to the Syrian authorities," the Russian deputy envoy added.