U.N. aid chief Amos in Syria, heading to Homs

[maddezmom]

Last edited Wed Mar 7, 2012, 11:03 AM - Edit history (1)

Source: Reuters

6:11 a.m. CST, March 7, 2012
GENEVA (Reuters) - United Nations humanitarian chief Valerie Amos held talks in the Syrian capital Damascus on Wednesday and is on her way to the devastated city of Homs, a U.N. spokeswoman said.

"She just completed a meeting with the MFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) and is now en route to Homs," Elisabeth Byrs, spokeswoman of the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told Reuters in Geneva.

Amos, who was denied entry to Syria last week, arrived in the country on a three-day mission to try to persuade authorities to grant unhindered access for aid workers to deliver life-saving assistance to civilians.

The world body has been shut out of Syria, where the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is the only international agency allowed to deploy aid workers and provide food and medical supplies.



Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/sns-rt-us-syria-un-amostre8260m8-20120307,0,1963689.story

[maddezmom]

1. Syria crisis: Red Crescent enters Baba Amr, Homs (no support or aid yet)

Syria crisis: Red Crescent enters Baba Amr, Homs Continue reading the main story

The Syrian Red Crescent has entered the devastated Baba Amr district of the city of Homs, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says.

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Relief teams have been waiting since Friday to move into the district, but the authorities blocked them citing danger from unexploded ordnance.

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There has been no officials statement from either Baroness Amos or the Red Crescent, but the UN aid chief spent an hour in Baba Amr assessing its humanitarian needs and has now moved on to other districts of the city.

The Red Crescent has not yet been able to deliver any support or aid to anyone in the district.

more;http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-17290058

[tabatha]

2. How Assad thinks he can avoid the Hague is mind-boggling.

[David__77]

3. Of course the ICC has no case against Bashar Assad.

No case at all - not today or tomorrow.

Of course, Syria is not a state party to the statute establishing the ICC. So, just like the US, it is not subject to its jurisdiction. The exception is with security council referral, which will not happen thanks to the position of Russia and China in opposing one-sided interference in the Syrian conflict.