UNHCR to Consider Proposals on Syria, Needs 48-Hour Pause in Fighting

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) is ready to consider any proposals on cooperation on humanitarian issues in Syria, but continues to insist that a 48-hour ceasefire is imperative for aid deliveries, a UNHCR spokesperson told Sputnik, commenting on Russian calls for better global engagement to resolve humanitarian situation in Syria.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier in the day, the Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement reiterating it calls for all regional and international partners to “realistically engage” in helping Syria resolve its crisis.

"UN agencies will look at any suggestion — but we need 48 hours pause to meet needs. We are ready to deliver. It needs to allow two-way traffic — aid delivery must be neutral, impartial, independent," the UNHCR spokesperson said.

Earlier on Thursday, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said the United Nations believed the three-hour humanitarian ceasefire windows in Syria, announced by Russia, would be insufficient. De Mistura stressed that the United Nations would maintain the aim for a 48-hour humanitarian ceasefire in Aleppo.