MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry after 14 hours of negotiations announced a new peace plan on Syria, which stipulates a nationwide ceasefire starting on September 12.
"I very much welcome an agreement at long last between Russia and the US. Without real leadership from the two powers I cannot see progress at all in the worst war of our generation. But to go from an agreement on paper to real changes to the better for Syrian civilians we need tremendous and continuous pressure by both Russia and the US on the parties on the ground and on the regional powers that are assisting opposing sides in this war," Egeland, who is also Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council, said.
UN Ready to 'Go Cross-Border' to Assist Eastern Aleppo in Coming Days
The United Nations is ready to enable cross-line and cross-border operations in Eastern Aleppo and other besieged areas later this week to assist civilians, after the US and Russian foreign ministers agreed on a new peace plan for Syria, Egeland told Sputnik.
The deal also creates a demilitarized zone around Aleppo to deliver aid to the city.
"The United Nations and humanitarian partners are ready to go this week cross-border and cross-line to assist the civilians in Eastern Aleppo and other areas that are encircled and besieged. The situation is increasingly [worrying] for civilians, women, children and the sick and wounded, in some 18 areas across Syria," Egeland said.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), 13.5 million people, including 6 million children, are in need of humanitarian assistance in Syria. Nearly six million of them live in hard-to-reach areas, including close to 600,000 people in 18 besieged areas.
"We need immediate restraint on the use of force and especially protection of civilians, schools and hospitals. We also need immediate permission to go to all besieged and hard to reach areas by the Syrian government and security guarantees for humanitarian convoys from all military actors on the ground," Egeland added.
The cessation of hostilities, entering into force on Monday, will first be set for 48 hours, with a further 48-hour extension followed by permanent implementation, if no obstacles arise.
The next ministerial meeting on Syria is due to be held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 21 and is expected to become a great opportunity for the resumption of the negotiations in Geneva.
