RUSSIA: Red Cross President Jakob Kellenberger says Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was 'supportive' of his request for a Syrian ceasefire for humanitarian convoys

Record ID: 280461

  • Title: RUSSIA: Red Cross President Jakob Kellenberger says Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was 'supportive' of his request for a Syrian ceasefire for humanitarian convoys
  • Date: 20th March 2012
  • Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (MARCH 19, 2012) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF DOMODEDOVO AIRPORT EXTERIOR PEOPLE WALKING IN AIRPORT (SOUNDBITE) (English) INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS PRESIDENT JAKOB KELLENBERGER, SAYING: "Clearly one priority is this humanitarian pause, what you call 'humanitarian ceasefire'. And I explained to him that it has become even more urgent, because it c
  • Embargoed: 4th April 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Russian Federation
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA16DEUSP4T2P6O83MHJXVWY5WK
  • Story Text: Russia's foreign minister voiced clear support for a plan for daily humanitarian ceasefires in Syria and promised Russia would press President Bashar al-Assad's government to accept it, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Monday (March 19).
    Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov "clearly agreed to and was supportive of" the idea of a daily two-hour cessation of hostilities to allow for life-saving aid operations, ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger told Reuters after talks with Lavrov.
    "I explained to him that it has become even more urgent, because it cannot be that when you have the most intense fighting you do not have access to the wounded and to give assistance," Kellenberger said.
    On Feb. 21, the ICRC, the only international agency to deploy aid workers in Syria, proposed a daily humanitarian ceasefire of two hours to allow time to evacuate the wounded safely and deliver food, medicines and other vital supplies.
    "I had to make clear that we not only wanted to do assistance operation, we, if was also very important for us, to do protection activities. Now protection really means mainly protection of medical mission, and it means access to detainees so that we can check conditions and treatment," Kellenberger said, adding, "He clearly, he clearly agreed and was supportive of the priorities I mentioned."
    Though earlier in the day Kellenberger told Lavrov that the humanitarian situation on the ground in Syria was deteriorating, he said some aid workers were getting access to cities and injured people needed help.
    "Just this week now, delegations, convoys are on their way to Homs and Idlib, but we have access also to other places. But the wounded I do understand, because that's one of our biggest concerns, that the wounded really do have access to medical care without being frightened about what will happen to them," Kellenberger said in an interview at a Moscow airport before his departure from Russia.
    Lavrov voiced agreement and support for those priorities, Kellenberger said.
    "I cannot now exactly tell you what the follow up will be, he will give, but I have a clear and strong feeling that he has taken on board our assessment, huh, and I think that he certainly does give a follow up to this assessment," he said.
    Russia, a longtime ally that has shielded Assad from U.N. Security Council condemnation by vetoing two Western-backed draft resolutions along with China, is seen as retaining some leverage on the Damascus government.
    Russia has continued delivering arms to Syria under contracts and has warned Western and Arab nations against military or political interference in Syria but has expressed support for international humanitarian aid efforts.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register