Politics
22:31, 27-Feb-2018
France's Le Drian pressures Russia on aid for Syria's Ghouta
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French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Tuesday he wanted specific measures from his Russian counterpart to enforce a UN-backed ceasefire so that aid could be delivered to Syria's eastern Ghouta.
Russia ordered a daily truce from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. (0700 GMT to 1200 GMT) and the creation of a "humanitarian corridor" to let civilians leave the area, the last major rebel stronghold near Damascus.
Russia is one of the only actors that can get the Syrian government to implement the resolution, said Le Drian in talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday.
Lavrov said that humanitarian aid would be delivered to Syria's eastern Ghouta using a "humanitarian corridor" that Moscow had helped open. He said the corridor was designed to evacuate civilians and to let in aid.
Children are seen near rubble after an air raid in the besieged town of Douma in eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria, Feb. 6, 2018. /Reuters Photo
Children are seen near rubble after an air raid in the besieged town of Douma in eastern Ghouta in Damascus, Syria, Feb. 6, 2018. /Reuters Photo
Le Drian said he wanted a detailed discussion of how the latest UN resolution on Syria could be fully implemented and to talk about the possibility of evacuating "the most injured" from the area.
The Russian military on Tuesday accused rebels in Ghouta of raining mortar fire down on the evacuation route opened to allow civilians to leave the conflict zone, something the rebels denied.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia regretted the situation unfolding in Ghouta and said Moscow would continue to work to try to help civilians leave the area despite what he called "provocations" from rebels.
(With input from Reuters)