UNITED NATIONS, United States : The UN Security Council will vote Sunday on a French proposal to send observers to the flashpoint Syrian city of Aleppo to monitor evacuations and report on the protection of civilians, diplomats said.
\nThe council will meet at 10:00 am (1500 GMT) to decide on the draft resolution, despite resistance from Russia, Syria\u00a0s ally and a veto-wielding Security Council member.
\nFrance circulated a draft text late Friday stating that the council is “alarmed” by the worsening humanitarian crisis in Aleppo and by the fact that “tens of thousands of besieged Aleppo inhabitants” are in need of aid and evacuation.
\nThousands of trapped civilians and the last remaining opposition fighters in Aleppo were waiting for evacuations to resume on Sunday, a day after the operation was suspended by the Syrian government.
\nSyrian forces this week moved to assert full control over the east of the city, which had been held by opposition fighters since 2012.
\nFrench Ambassador Francois Delattre said the international presence prevents Aleppo from turning into another Srebrenica, where thousands of Bosnian men and boys were massacred in 1995 when the town fell to Bosnian Serb forces during the Balkan wars. “Our goal through this resolution is to avoid another Srebrenica in this phase immediately following the military operations,” Delattre told AFP.
\nThe draft resolution would request that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon quickly redeploy UN humanitarian staff already in Syria to the city “to carry out adequate, neutral monitoring, direct observation and to report on evacuations from besieged parts of Aleppo and protection of civilians inside Aleppo,” according to a copy of the text obtained by AFP.
\nBan would also ensure the deployment of further staff, according to the draft text, which demands that Syria grant access to the observers.
\nThe UN chief would report to the council within five days on whether access has been granted by the Syrian government, which has repeatedly blocked UN access during the nearly six-year war.
\nEvacuations were expected to resume under a new deal that would allow civilians and fighters in other besieged towns to leave, according to rebel officials, but the Damascus government made no announcements.
\nThe draft resolution would seek to ensure the “voluntary, safe and dignified passage of all civilians” from Aleppo and other areas under UN monitoring and coordination, with priority given to the wounded and most vulnerable.
\nIt demands the protection of all doctors, medical workers, hospitals and ambulances following reports that Syrian forces had bombed all of the medical facilities in Aleppo.
\nThe text specifically mentions the need to protect the border hospitals of Atmeh, Darkoush, Bab al-Hawa and Bab al-Salamah, where many of the evacuees would be taken.
\nThe council would also demand that urgent humanitarian aid reach Aleppo, which has been under siege since July.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
UNITED NATIONS, United States : The UN Security Council will vote Sunday on a French proposal to send observers to the flashpoint Syrian city of Aleppo to monitor evacuations and report on the protection of civilians, diplomats said. The council will meet at 10:00 am (1500 GMT) to decide on the draft resolution, despite resistance […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7546,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-8099","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n