US sanctions against Syria are not hindering aid, diplomat says

World Bank estimates country's total losses at $5.2bn

Border customs officials inspect a lorry loaded with UN humanitarian aid for Syria at the Bab Al Hawa border crossing with Turkey. AP

Washington's sanctions against Syria are not blocking the flow of humanitarian aid into the country, a US diplomat told the UN Security Council on Thursday.

Critics claim sanctions imposed by the US and other countries have hampered the delivery of desperately needed resources after more than a decade of war and, more recently, the devastating earthquake that struck Syria and Turkey on February 6.

Jeffrey DeLaurentis, Washington's ambassador for special political affairs, told the Security Council that tough US sanctions had not stopped the flow of humanitarian assistance.

“We categorically reject assertions that US sanctions are the cause of the humanitarian crisis in Syria,” Mr DeLaurentis said.

“Syrian President Bashar Al Assad's 12 years of war, abetted by his regime's mismanagement and corruption, are the obvious cause of the crisis.

“Our sanctions have carve-outs that support the flow of humanitarian assistance through the UN and international NGOs”.

He added that since the February 6 earthquake, the US has worked with humanitarian organisations and foreign governments to address the needs of the Syrian people.

Last month, the US Treasury Department announced a 180-day easing of sanctions against Damascus after the earthquake.

In November, Alena Douhan, a UN special rapporteur, said “the total economic and financial isolation” brought about by western sanctions had “shattered” Syria's capability to respond to the needs of the population.

Mr DeLaurentis accused the Assad regime of never “seriously” seeking peace and cautioned states that are “engaging” with the Syrian government to seek “verifiably constructive outcomes for Syrians and the broader region”.

Mohamed Abu Shahab, the UAE’s deputy ambassador to the UN, stressed the importance of the “Arab role” in resolving “Arab crises” and called for regional countries to “embrace” Syria and help “heal its wounds”.

UN Special Envoy to Syria Geir Pederson said the political track in Syria remained at a standstill.

He said the situation today is so “unprecedented” that it calls for “leadership, bold ideas and a co-operative spirit”.

“A political solution is the only way forward for Syria,” he said.

Earthquake update

Tareq Talahma, a senior official with the UN's humanitarian branch, updated the Security Council on the increasingly dire humanitarian situation in Syria following the earthquake.

At least 5,791 people have reportedly been killed and 10,041 injured in Syria, including 4,377 reported deaths and 7,692 reported injured in the rebel-held north-west, UN figures show.

The World Bank estimates total losses of $5.2 billion in Syria.

Mr Talahma said aid is flowing more easily into north-west Syria from Turkey, with more than 900 aid lorries from seven UN agencies having now crossed at Bab Al Hawa, Bab Al Salam and Al Ra’ee.

Still, an independent UN-appointed commission of inquiry on Syria last month accused the Syrian government, the international community and the UN of abandoning millions of Syrian civilians in dire need.

“Many days were lost without any aid to the survivors of the earthquake, which became an epicentre of neglect,” said the commission's chairman Paulo Pinheiro.

Russia’s UN ambassador, Vasily Nebenzya, blamed alleged Israeli strikes on Aleppo's airport for disrupting humanitarian assistance and exacerbating Syrians' misery.

Syria’s state-run media outlet Sana reported that the Israeli Air Force carried out an air strike for the second time in recent weeks at the airport on Wednesday morning.