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Russia to Submit UNSC Draft to Keep 1 Cross-Border Point in Syria for 6 Months - Mission

UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) - Russia will introduce a UN Security Council resolution to extend the cross-border aid deliveries mechanism in Syria for six months through one checkpoint at Bab al-Hawa, the Russian Mission said in a statement.
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Earlier on Tuesday, Russia and China vetoed a draft submitted by Belgium and Germany that would have extended humanitarian deliveries into Syria from Turkey for a year through two checkpoints.

"We fully understand the need to provide humanitarian needs of all Syrians. Guided by this, we will introduce our own draft, which extends the work of CBM for another 6 months and limits the number of crossing points to one, namely to Bab Al-Hawa", the statement said on Tuesday.

Russia said earlier that it expects the United Nations and the Syrian government to work out alternative routes for delivering humanitarian supplies to all Syrians in need without any discrimination at the request and with the consent of the recipient country, while respecting its sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity.

The cross-border assistance was established in 2014 and has since been renewed every year. Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia argued that the UN Security Council's 2014 resolution was outdated and used to politicise relief aid by favouring some groups over others.

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