Syria approves aid convoys to all 19 besieged areas

Syria has given approval for humanitarian convoys to reach all of the country's 19 besieged areas by the end of this month, the UN said Thursday, but warned "approval... does not mean delivery". 


"We were informed by our team in Damascus that basically there has been a permission, an approval... by the government of Syria for all 19 besieged areas," the United Nations envoy to the war-racked country, Staffan de Mistura, told reporters. 


He stressed that Syria has given such approvals in the past before ultimately blocking convoys from distributing life-saving supplies. 


He made the comments after the weekly meeting of the Syria humanitarian taskforce, co-chaired by the US and Russia, which has for months been trying to boost aid supplies to millions of Syrians in need. 


That taskforce has faced pressure, including from France and Britain, to start air-dropping aid into besieged areas. 


De Mistura said "all options are on the table", voicing hope that a surge of road convoys in the coming weeks would make dangerous and costly air deliveries unnecessary

Source: NNA