NEW YORK, JULY 21 – For the first time ever the UN General Assembly held today a debate on a veto on a humanitarian Resolution. Russia’s veto on cross-border mechanism in Syria will have tangible consequences, the Italian Permanent Representative, Maurizio Massari, said in his remarks to the Assembly, stressing that the Security Council can’t fail to address the needs of the suffering Syrian people and NGOs on the ground.
Massari spoke during the second time plenary meeting convene to implement the procedure set by Resolution 76/262 on Strengthening the United Nations system, aimed at debating the use of the veto in the Security Council: “However, it is the first time we are debating a veto on a humanitarian Resolution”, said the Italian Ambassador.
“Russia’s decision to veto the draft tabled after the utmost diplomatic effort of the co-penholders, Ireland and Norway, will create a sense of uncertainty about the future for the Syrian population and an incredibly complex endeavor for the humanitarian system. These consequences are indeed very tangible both for the Syrian people and for the humanitarian agencies and NGOs on the ground. What is worst is that a short-term renewal is less effective in fostering early recovery projects, requested by Russia itself, due to their inherent medium-term nature”, said Massari, urging the Council to renew the cross-border mechanism of Bab Al Hawa next January, “in the hope that a reliable UN facilitated political process, Syrian-led and Syrian-owned, might parallel this renewal”. (@OnuItalia)
