SYRIA: Iran to donate ambulances to Syrian government

Record ID: 281371

  • Title: SYRIA: Iran to donate ambulances to Syrian government
  • Date: 17th September 2012
  • Summary: DAMASCUS, SYRIA (SEPTEMBER 17, 2012) (REUTERS): CONVOY OF IRANIAN UNDER SECRETARY OF HEALTH, MOHAMAD RIDA NIKNAM, ARRIVING AT THE SYRIAN HEALTH MINISTRY IN DAMASCUS NIKNAM GETTING OUT OF THE CAR AND ENTERING THE BUILDING VARIOUS OF SYRIAN HEALTH MINISTER SAAD AL-NAYEF RECEIVING NIKNAM IRANIAN FLAG VARIOUS OF THE MEETING JOURNALISTS OUTSIDE THE NEWS CONFERENCE MEETING ROOM
  • Embargoed: 2nd October 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Syrian Arab Republic
  • Country: Syria
  • Topics: Conflict,International Relations,Health,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVADP8N7B8FRIVWQ1RAGGKGAC2CZ
  • Story Text: The Syrian government announced a further consignment of aid from Iran on Monday (September 17) in the form of ambulances.
    The announcement was made by Syrian Health Minster Saad al-Nayef at a meeting in Damascus with a visiting Iranian official.
    "We are preparing to receive twenty ambulances. Soon we will receive another 50 ambulances from the brotherly state of Iran," Nayef told journalists.
    Syria has already received three shipments of Iranian aid worth of $1.2 million (USD) as well as two food shipments estimated at 110 tonnes in total.
    "We're hopeful that in these difficult circumstances that the enemies of Syria have created, we hope that we would be able to offer assistance to our Syrian friends," Iranian Under Secretary of Health, Mohamad Rida Niknam said at the meeting.
    Iran has been a supporter of President Bashar al-Assad as he has battled unrest and then rebellion over 18 months in a bloody conflict that has killed more than 20,000 people.
    U.N. aid agencies have been at odds with the Syrian administration for much of the period, over independent access to civilians, to increase aid to them.
    The U.N. estimates some 1.2 million people have been uprooted from their homes and more than 250,000 have fled abroad.
    The Syrian government has imposed restrictions on media access, making many reports hard to verify, but Reuters was able to film this event.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
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