MOSCOW, February 11 (RIA Novosti) – Moscow is satisfied with the decision to extend the ceasefire in the Syrian city of Homs for three more days, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Tuesday.
“More than 800 people – mostly elderly people, women and children – were able to leave this area because of the ceasefire. Additional food was delivered to residents of besieged districts,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said.
He said efforts to alleviate the sufferings of civilians continue despite “desperate attempts by international terrorists to disrupt the ceasefire process and escalate tensions through bloody and inhumane crimes.”
The ceasefire in Homs and aid deliveries to the epicenter of one of Syria’s most acute humanitarian crises were discussed by the Syrian government and various opposition forces during negotiations in Geneva in late January.
The government and the opposition agreed to a three-day ceasefire last Thursday, allowing civilians to leave Homs and the delivery of aid to those who decided to stay in the besieged city.
UN Spokesman Martin Nesirky said that more than 1,130 people have so far been evacuated from Homs in the four days since the ceasefire, including 457 people on Monday.
He said food supplies were delivered to 2,500 residents of Homs, who had spent nearly two years in the war-torn city without any communication with the outside world.
