- Title: UNHCR says air strikes must halt to deliver humanitarian aid in Syria
- Date: 24th October 2016
- Summary: AMMAN, JORDAN (OCTOBER 24, 2016) (REUTERS) THE UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES, FILIPPO GRANDI ENTERING NEWS CONFERENCE A CAMERAWOMAN FILMING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES, FILIPPO GRANDI, SAYING: "The Security Council continues to show no unity in responding to the crisis in Syria in whilst the Security Council quarrels about what to say on the Syria situation, people in Syria continue to die. And we humanitarian organizations including UNHCR in Syria continue to struggle to bring as much assistance to people as possible," REPORTER TAKING NOTES (SOUNDBITE) (English) UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES, FILIPPO GRANDI, SAYING: "You followed in the last few days the debate around the pause in fighting in Aleppo. There was a pause welcome because that allows us to do work but during this pause we were not yet able to evacuate at least the wounded from East Aleppo this is something that continues to be negotiated. We need more of these pauses, we need in fact a long pause, we need the pause not to end and we need this to be transformed into a durable cessation of hostilities, but this is not happening yet," REPORTERS ATTENDING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) UN HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR REFUGEES, FILIPPO GRANDI, SAYING: "The preparations, because this question has come to me many times, I think are proceeding well. UNHCR, just to give you an example, is going to have by, in two, three days 30,000 tents in country in Iraq this is enough for a 150,000 people but more are coming we will get to 50,000 and then we have other shelter solutions for the people that may, may, get out of Mosul we do not know yet," REPORTERS LEAVING CONFERENCE ROOM
- Embargoed: 8th November 2016 14:40
- Keywords: Refugees Syria Aleppo Iraq Mosul
- Location: AMMAN, JORDAN
- City: AMMAN, JORDAN
- Country: Syria
- Topics: Asylum/Immigration/Refugees
- Reuters ID: LVA00155D7TXJ
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: A long pause of fighting is needed to enable humanitarian workers deliver assistance to people in Syria, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi said in Amman, Jordan on Monday (October 24).
"We need more of these pauses, we need in fact a long pause, we need the pause not to end and we need this to be transformed into a durable cessation of hostilities but this is not happening yet," Grandi said adding that previous brief unilateral ceasefires were not enough to allow delivery of humanitarian aid to hundreds of thousands of people in need.
Grandi, who spoke after visiting Azraq refugee camp in northern Jordan, commented also on UNHCR's preparations to deliver aid to those fleeing fighting in Mosul.
"UNHCR, just to give you an example, is going to have by, in two, three days 30,000 tents in country in Iraq this is enough for a 150,000 people but more are coming we will get to 50,000 and then we have other shelter solutions for the people that may, may, get out of Mosul we do not know yet," Grandi said.
The United Nations said earlier this month it was bracing for the world's biggest and most complex humanitarian effort in the battle for the city, which could make up to 1 million people homeless and see civilians used as human shields or even gassed.
Intensified Russian and Syrian bombing of besieged rebel-held parts of Aleppo in the past weeks has hit hospitals, bakeries and water pumping stations, and killed hundreds of civilians.
The United Nations has criticized unilateral ceasefires after long sieges, saying they can be helpful only if combined with humanitarian access for those who do not want to leave. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2016. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None