Syrian gov't bears primary responsibility for improving humanitarian situation: Chinese envoy

The Syrian government bears the primary responsibility for improving the humanitarian situation in Syria, a Chinese envoy said Thursday.

"The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and other humanitarian agencies should strengthen coordination and cooperation with the Syrian government, abide by the UN Charter and the principles of humanitarian neutrality, impartiality and independence, and fully respect Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the UN, told the Security Council.

He stressed that the cross-border humanitarian relief mechanism is a special relief method adopted under specific circumstances and should be adjusted in light of developments on the ground.

The Syrian government has agreed that the World Health Organization will use cross-border points and airports in the government-controlled area to transport supplies, and authorized the use of roads to transport medical goods, he said. "The OCHA should respond positively to Syria's proposal."

The United Nations Security Council holds a meeting on the situation in Syria, at the UN headquarters in New York, on Feb. 27, 2020.(Xinhua/Li Muzi)