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                UN: Syrian Government Blocking Humanitarian Aid

   by Lisa Schlein

   A U.N. body set up to monitor the delivery of humanitarian assistance
   to besieged and hard-to-reach areas in Syria accuses the government of
   Bashar al-Assad of continuing to hamper the delivery of desperately
   needed aid.

   U.N. Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, says all members of
   the U.N. Humanitarian Access Task Force are disappointed and frustrated
   by the lack of improvement in the delivery of aid to hundreds of
   thousands of Syrians.

   Airdrops
   He considers it unacceptable aid is not reaching people deprived of
   food and other relief for many months. He says the one bright spot is
   that air drops of food supplies into the eastern Syrian city of Deir
   Ezzor are occurring smoothly.

   ''

   He says the World Food Program has successfully conducted three
   technically difficult operations this week. The last one Thursday, when
   26 pallets of food were air-dropped into the Islamic State stronghold,
   a region that remains off-limits by road.

   "The next airdrops are also likely to include, not only food items, but
   medical items, which are very much needed in the area. So far, 55 tons
   have been airdropped by the World Food Program airplane. This is quite
   encouraging," he said.

   Vaccination campaign
   De Mistura says he believes an important national vaccination campaign
   will go ahead on April 24. He says he raised this issue with the Syrian
   authorities he met in Damascus, urging them not to delay this
   operation.

   ''


   ''


   "That would have been very bad because the Syrian people need to see
   for their own children, wherever they are the possibility of having
   this campaign of vaccination in view of the reduction of the coverage
   and on the fact that, regardless of what we have been hearing in terms
   of tense moments in some parts of the country, the cessation of
   hostilities is still holding and, therefore, should be allowing
   vaccination and, therefore, no excuse for not doing it," he said.

   A third round of indirect Intra-Syrian peace talks began Wednesday.
   U.N. envoy de Mistura says he plans to hold substantive discussions
   with government and opposition delegations aiming at a political
   transition.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/us-syrian-government-blocking-humanit
   arian-aid/3285698.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/us-syrian-government-blocking-humanitarian-aid/3285698.html