Geneva talks continue as Red Cross hopes major humanitarian intervention will be allowed soon
Talks in Geneva have been continuing as the International Red Cross and its partners negotiate humanitarian access to Syrians affected by armed conflict…
The International Red Cross is continuing to press for access to Homs and other affected areas to deliver food and vital medical aid.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent were in negotiations Sunday February 26 with both the Syrian authorities and opposition groups in Homs. The discussions have been highly sensitive and have yielded no concrete results.
Despite ICRC and Red Crescent workers evacuating seven wounded people to Al Amin hospital, and 20 women and children outside the affected zone on Saturday, the NGO is requesting urgent access to the worst hit areas with the situation described as deteriorating.
It is not sure when or if essential emergency evacuations will be allowed to take place… The ICRC and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent say they will continue to negotiate with the Syrian authorities and the opposition in an attempt to enter Baba Amr and carry out vital evacuations. Homs continues to be the main focus of conflict as the rebellion against Assad's rule gathers momentum.
In an increasingly complex situation the ICRC has been urging the Syrian authorities and all others involved in the ongoing violence to implement a daily cessation of fighting for at least two hours, in all areas affected, to allow urgent humanitarian assistance.
On Friday ICRC spokesperson Carla Haddad described the situation in Homs and in the other affected areas as deteriorating and that the security situation has become so bad that it is impossible to provide the humanitarian aid people desperately need…
"The situation is very difficult on the ground, she said.
"People are in a desperate situation - they need water, food, access to medical care. Some are seriously injured. We need to be able to access the different areas including Homs to be able to help them out."
Many people will be asking questions of the Syrian authorities - why don't they allow access for impartial ICRC workers to deliver aid and evacuate the wounded and the sick?
Syrian Arab Red Crescent and ICRC teams since February 11 have managed to enter the cities of Homs, Bludan, Al Zabadani and Madaya to provide humanitarian assistance for vulnerable people in need. A temporary halt in the fighting would allow the ICRC and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent to improve their assistance significantly and better respond to the vital needs of the population.
Since Thursday following an initiative in Switzerland, talks on the coordination of humanitarian aid for Syria have taken place in Geneva involving international governments and UN agencies.
International agencies including the UNHCR have stressed the importance of the neutrality of humanitarian aid. The ICRC has described the situation as worsening by the hour and says that people must get help urgently…
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