UN: Air Aid to Syria Not Imminent

It has been two days since the deadline for the Syrian government to allow ground aid to reach besieged people passed; UN officials say that immediate air aid to citizens is not very feasible due to security reasons. Over the past two days, pressure on the UN to provide assistance to besieged areas has increased, yet the deputy of Stefan de Mistura, the UN envoy for Syria, stated on June 3rd, 'I don't think air deliveries will be imminent until the World Food Program finalizes its plan for assistance.' UN officials and the World Food Program have emphasized that ground delivery of aid to besieged areas is far more effective and cheaper. They also pointed out the 'low impact' of air deliveries and the 'very high cost' of such operations. Furthermore, UN officials have practically stated that such actions specifically require permission from the central government in Damascus for security reasons. Without the permission of government forces - in most cases - and in a few cases, rebels, ground aid convoys cannot reach the besieged people. The Guardian quoted Syrian activists who say that the UN does not want to have issues with Russia regarding this matter; a country that, as the main supporter of Bashar al-Assad, has apparently not used its influence significantly to change the central government's stance. Russia has stated that the central Syrian government should be given 'more time' and has also expressed its opposition to any air operations without Damascus's permission. In addition, the UN's failure to deliver aid to besieged Syrians could further damage the 'credibility' of the international community in facing the challenges of the country's civil war. This issue has also been reflected in the statements of Philip Hammond, the British Foreign Secretary. Jan Egeland, the UN humanitarian coordinator for Syria, stated that most besieged areas are urban, and air distribution of aid may be possible using helicopters. Stefan Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, echoed similar statements, saying that helicopters are needed to deliver aid to 15 out of 19 targeted areas. Dujarric also emphasized that security issues regarding helicopter flights in Syrian airspace must be considered. On Wednesday, part of the ground aid reached Darayya; an area near Damascus that has been besieged since 2012, and there have been serious concerns about the situation of civilians there. Nevertheless, the charity 'Save the Children' stated that it is 'astonished' that food supplies were not allowed to be sent in the aid delivered to Darayya, calling this completely unacceptable. The Syrian civil war has left between 280,000 to 470,000 dead and displaced half of the country's citizens. Meetings, negotiations, visits, and international efforts to end this five-year war have yielded no results. In this context, 'intense airstrikes' in Idlib have left casualties. Advances against 'ISIS' in Syria, positioning around Fallujah.