US and China envoys on Syria crossing vote

The United Nations Security Council on Saturday approved a resolution authorising humanitarian aid deliveries to Syria’s mainly rebel-held northwest from Turkey through just one crossing point, a victory for Russia in cutting another crossing the UN and aid groups have called critical.

Russia, Syria’s most important ally, argued aid should be delivered from within the country across conflict lines and just one crossing point was needed.

The UN and humanitarian groups argued unsuccessfully - along with the vast majority of the Council - that two crossing points were essential to get aid to the 2.8 million needy people in the northwest, especially with the first case of COVID-19 recently reported in the region.

The vote was 12-0, with Russia, China and the Dominican Republic abstaining - Russia most likely because two amendments it proposed were rejected.

Saturday’s vote capped a week of high-stakes rivalry between Russia and China, and the 13 other Council members who voted twice to maintain the two crossings from Turkey that were in operation until their mandate ended Friday.

Both times, Russia and China vetoed the resolutions - the 15th and 16th veto by Russia of a Syria resolution since the conflict began in 2011 and the ninth and 10th by China.

Germany and Belgium, which sponsored the widely supported resolutions for both the Bab al-Hawa and Bab al-Salam crossing points, were forced to back down by the threat of another Russian veto, and their latest draft authorised only the single crossing point from Turkey for a year.

After the latest Russian veto on Friday, Germany and Belgium circulated a draft resolution to extend the mandate through the Bab al-Hawa crossing for a year and the mandate for the Bab al-Salam crossing - which Russia wanted to eliminate - for three months to wind up its activities.

But Russia objected to even three months, so it was eliminated, diplomats said.