UN ready to resume aid convoys to Syria

(AhlulBayt News Agency) - The UN said Wednesday it was ready to resume humanitarian convoys in Syria after an attack on aid trucks and a warehouse, which left 20 people dead, triggered a suspension of deliveries.

"The preparation for these convoys has now resumed and we are ready to deliver aid to besieged and hard-to-reach areas as soon as possible," the UN's humanitarian office (OCHA) said in a statement.

The Monday attacks came as relief supplies intended for desperate Syrian civilians were being unloaded at the warehouse Orum al-Kubra, a town in Aleppo province.

Those killed included volunteers as well as a Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) staffer.

The UN announced it was suspending all deliveries on Tuesday morning and called for an investigation.

An unnamed US official told AFP that Washington believed a Russian plane was responsible.

Both Moscow and Damascus have denied involvement.

OCHA on Wednesday restated its call for "safe, unconditional, unimpeded and sustained access to all Syrians in need, wherever they are."

Speaking at a meeting of the UN Security Council on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for a thorough and impartial investigation into the attack on the aid convoy.

The Russian top diplomat blamed opposition forces for the collapse of the ceasefire in Syria, saying they had frequently violated the truce. He also stated that it was time to review the list of terrorist groups that had to be excluded from ceasefire agreements.



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