Britain: Syrian regime impedes entry of international aid to besieged areas

The British government has accused the Syrian regime of deliberately impeding the entry of international humanitarian aid to besieged villages and towns in Syria as “political and military weapons”.

 David Lidington, the Foreign Office minister, called on the UN to hold urgent talks with the Syrian government to pressure it to allow the delivery of aid, either by air or land.

 Lidington stressed the need for international forces to play a role in pressuring Damascus to end its intransigence regarding the entry of aid. He noted that Russia and Iran had pledged, at the beginning of the year, to support efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to the besieged areas in Syria.

 The British minister also reiterated his appeals to hold all those in the Syrian government accountable for their crimes against the people after dealing with the more urgent issues. Such issues include providing relief to the besieged villages and reaching a political settlement, he said.

Related:

• Israeli raids on Syrian army sites in Homs.

• Iranian-Russian-Syrian meeting in Tehran to discuss combating terrorism.