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UN Special Envoy for Syria Wants Humanitarian Aid by Road, Not Air Drops

© REUTERS / Ammar AbdullahA Syrian Arab Red Crescent aid convoy heads towards the villages of al-Foua and Kefraya in Idlib province, Syria February 17, 2016
A Syrian Arab Red Crescent aid convoy heads towards the villages of al-Foua and Kefraya in Idlib province, Syria February 17, 2016 - Sputnik International
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Staffan de Mistura hopes that there will be no need in air-dropping aid to Syria’s besieged areas, and increasing help delivered by road would be a better option.

UN Syria envoy Staffan De Mistura's hands holds documents at the United Nations Offices on January 25, 2016 in Geneva during a press conference on efforts to restart peace talks. - Sputnik International
UN Supports Syrian Citizens By Means of Humanitarian Airdrops
MOSCOW (Sputnik) UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura hopes that there will be no need in air-dropping aid to Syria’s besieged areas, and increasing help delivered by road would be a better option, de Mistura told reporters on Thursday.

"Regarding the air drops and any other air operations, let’s comment on it once WFP [World Food Programme] makes its assessment and once we see whether… air-dropping is a clear option. We’ll instead, as we hope, produce an increased humanitarian aid by road," de Mistura said.

On Tuesday, the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) issued a joint communique summarizing the decisions taken at the ministerial meeting, insisting on concrete steps to ensure urgent humanitarian aid to the following besieged and hard-to-reach areas: Douma, Arbeen, Darraya, East Harasta, Mouadhimiyeh, Zabadin and Zamalka.

In case humanitarian convoys are denied access to any of the designated besieged areas by June 1, the World Food Programme will start air drops with aid, the ISSG said.

The ISSG also decided that in cases where humanitarian access is systematically denied, it can inform the UN Security Council about it through de Mistura.

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