UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik) — The United Nations supports the initiative by Russia and stands ready to continue delivering humanitarian aid in de-escalation zones in Syria in accordance with the Russian plan, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien told the UN Security Council on Wednesday.
"I would like to reiterate our impartial appreciation to the Russian Federation and voice our support to their initiative presented in this Council on the ninth of August to scale up humanitarian operations in de-escalation areas," O’Brien said. "We assure that the United Nations and its humanitarian partners have been actively working of preparedness planning and remain committed to scale up operations."
The promise of delivering humanitarian aid to the established de-escalation zones was an essential condition for the opposition adopting the ceasefire. Russia has promised to act as a guarantor for the delivery of humanitarian aid.
The original agreement on establishing four de-escalation zones was reached during the talks on Syrian reconciliation in Astana in May. The four zones are in the province of Idlib and neighboring districts of Latakia, Aleppo and Homs, in the north of Homs, in southern Quneitra and Daraa provinces and in eastern Ghouta.
