UN envoy discusses ceasefire, aid with Syrian foreign minister - spokesman

The U.N. Syria envoy held talks with Syria's foreign minister on Tuesday aimed at securing a cessation of hostilities and "unhindered" delivery of humanitarian aid to areas besieged by all parties, a U.N. spokesman said. 

 

Staffan de Mistura was due to meet Walid al-Moualem a second time later in the day in Damascus to discuss resuming peace talks scheduled for Feb. 25, after a first round was suspended last week, U.N. spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said. 

 

"We are witnessing a degradation on the ground that cannot wait," Fawzi told a news briefing in Geneva. "The reason he suspended them was, as you know, that cities were still being bombed, people were still being starved on the ground." 

 

World powers agreed in Munich on Friday to a cessation of hostilities in Syria to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered, but the deal does not take effect until the end of this week and was not signed by any warring parties.

 

"You can't force people to come to the table to talk peace. Of course there are those with influence over the parties, and that's what he is trying to do, convince those with influence on the parties to put pressure on the parties involved to come to the table, and to stop this madness," Fawzi said. 

 

On Monday, Turkey accused Russia of an "obvious war crime" after missile attacks in northern Syria killed nearly 50 people, and warned Kurdish militia fighters there they would face the "harshest reaction" if they tried to capture a town near the Turkish border. 

 

U.N. human rights spokesman Rupert Colville condemned the deadly air strikes on hospitals and schools in Idlib and Aleppo, the latest in a series. 

 

"If it's deliberate, intentional targeting, then it may amount a war crime. But at this point, we're not in a position to make that judgement. Ultimately that's only a court that can make that judgment, and you need sufficient evidence," he said. 

 

"So I can't point the finger, but clearly Russian and Syrian planes are very active and we would urge those who are dropping bombs and missiles out of the sky to take far more care because the number of hits on civilians is just astronomical since this conflict began," Colville said. 

 

"Clearly those two, both Russian and Syrian planes, are very active in this area. So obviously they should know who is responsible." 

 

International humanitarian law says hospitals and health care personnel must be protected, Colville said. 

 

"It's completely outrageous, all the norms and rules and standards on conduct of warfare have just been swept aside in Syria. Everything you can think of has been broken." ​