US accuses Russia of not complying with ceasefire in Syria
(Baonghean) - On February 28, at a regular press conference, US State Department Press Secretary Heather Nauert accused Russia, as a key member, of failing to comply with the terms of the 30-day ceasefire in Syria approved by the United Nations Security Council on February 25.
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| The scene of destruction in Eastern Ghouta, Syria. Photo: EPA |
“Moscow is the cause of tension between the parties in Syria, because Russia continues to support the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Then Russia wants to become the “arbitrator” to resolve the dispute. And this is a tragedy,” Ms. Nauert commented.
Continuing to accuse Russia, Ms. Heather Nauert analyzed that before the UN unilaterally approved the ceasefire request, the voting process was postponed many times because the members could not reach a common voice and while the international community spoke up to temporarily stop the fighting, Russia itself wanted to "buy time" to make many changes.
“The Syrian people are living in extreme suffering, especially children who have lost many lives. There will be no such thing as a ‘humanitarian corridor’ as Russia has proposed,” said the US State Department press officer.
Russia needs to admit that it is unable or unwilling to play a role in ending the conflict in Syria, the US diplomat said. Since intervening in Syria in 2015, Moscow has supported President Bashar al-Assad's forces, who are besieging the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta region outside the capital Damascus.
A Russian attempt to broker a short-lived five-hour ceasefire on February 27 failed after government forces resumed their assault on eastern Ghouta shortly after. Moscow and Damascus blamed the rebels for the collapse of the truce, accusing them of shelling a route for civilians to leave the area. The rebels denied the accusation.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would plan to end such attacks to allow aid to reach Eastern Ghouta through a humanitarian corridor.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) also said it was ready to go to Eastern Ghouta to deliver aid. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has just launched an investigation into the attacks in Eastern Ghouta to determine whether banned weapons were used.
