Russia Says February Peace Talks Are Postponed
According to Russia, next month’s United Nations-sponsored peace talks in Geneva have been postponed, Al Jazeera reported.
The negotiations, scheduled for Feb. 8, have been put back to the end of the month, said Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov at a meeting in Moscow Friday with members of Syria’s political opposition.
The U.N. would not confirm that the talks have been postponed. “We’re going to be sure when the special envoy is back,” said Yara Sharif, a spokeswoman for special envoy Staffan de Mistura. He is attending talks with the U.N. Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon.
Peace talks between Syrian rebels and the government, sponsored by Russia, Turkey and Iran in the Kazakh capital Astana, ended earlier this week with no major breakthrough.
Syrian Government Blocking Aid, U.N. Says
The U.N. humanitarian chief accused the Syrian government of obstructing aid deliveries to people in need, ABC reported.
“We continue to be blocked at every turn, by lack of approvals at central and local levels, disagreements on access routes, and violation of agreed procedures at checkpoints by parties to the conflict,” said undersecretary-general Stephen O’Brien.
Only one convoy delivered aid in December to 6,000 people, O’Brien said, when the U.N. had requested approval to help 930,250 people.
Thousands of medical items were removed from the trucks, he said. January was not much of an improvement, despite the government responding to U.N. requests in a timely manner.
“But subsequent administrative delays on the part of the government, including in the approval of facilitation letters, approval by local governors and security committees, as well as broader restrictions by all parties, continue to hamper our efforts,” he said.
Clashes in Wadi Barada Continue
Fighting for control of the Syrian capital’s main water source continue despite a nationwide cease-fire, the United Kingdom-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported.
Government and allied forces shelled Wadi Barada, the water-rich region outside Damascus controlled by rebels. The area supplies nearly 70 percent of the capital’s water and has been subject to intense fighting since Dec. 23. More than 4 million people have been without drinking water since government airstrikes allegedly destroyed the Wadi Barada pumping station last month.
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