UN still unable to deliver life-saving aid in Syria as truce holds: official

The UN Special Envoy for Syria said Thursday that UN aid convoys had not yet reached civilians trapped in besieged and hard-to-reach locations in Syria despite a nationwide ceasefire holding since Sept. 12.

"The second dividend of the U.S. and Russian agreement was, and remains, humanitarian access. That is what makes a difference for the people apart from no more bombs or mortar shelling taking place," Staffan de Mistura told the press.

"Are we disappointed? Of course we are, but who is particularly disappointed are the Syrian people," he added.

While a ceasefire brokered by the United States and Russia last week after marathon discussions appears to be respected by factions at war since 2011, the diplomat said the Syrian government permits allowing humanitarian convoys to reach priority locations including east Aleppo had yet to be received.

A key point addressed by Washington and Moscow is how to manage the Castello Road, the only passage providing road access to east Aleppo where some 275,000 civilians are essentially trapped.

The plan, which remains too sensitive to make entirely public, is to disengage government troops and rebel forces and set up special status checkpoints along the road which runs through conflict lines.

This is hoped to give convoys the required security and clearance that has until now been lacking.

Damascus would be informed of relief operations through a UN monitoring mechanism, providing the officials with information of what goes into trucks and of subsequent deliveries.

For other locations including Kafraya, Foah, Madaya, Az-Zabadni and Madamiyet Elsham, de Mistura indicated that government authorisation was still mandatory.

"Can well fed, grown men please stop putting political, bureaucratic and procedural road blocks for brave humanitarian workers who are ready and willing to go to serve women, children, wounded civilians in besieged and cross-fire areas?" de Mistura's special advisor Jan Egeland questioned.

"If they do that, we are willing and able to go to all of these places in the next few days and we're very hopeful that we will indeed be able to do so," he added.

Once humanitarian deliveries take place, and if the ceasefire holds, this should set in motion the third major component of the landmark agreement calling for military cooperation between the United States and Russia to target terrorist groups such as Nusra -- now known as Jabhat Fateh al-Sham -- and ISIS. Endit