U.N. Security Council Ramps Up Pressure on Assad

The U.N. Security Council adopted a unanimous but non-binding resolution Saturday calling for humanitarian aid convoys to be allowed access across war-torn Syria, but diplomats immediately voiced doubt about its effectiveness.

Syria's staunch ally Russia, with support from China, has blocked three previous resolutions aimed at pressuring the Damascus regime since the crisis began in March 2011, with an estimated half of all Syrians urgently awaiting immediate help.

But Moscow and Beijing, two of the five permanent Security Council members, did not do so this time, sending a strong message to President Bashar Assad, whose administration is accused of serious rights violations in attempting to hold on to power.

The resolution, which also criticizes the dropping of barrel bombs by government aircraft, was drafted by Australia, Jordan and Luxembourg and had the backing of Britain, France and the United States, the other permanent Security Council members.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the move, but said the resolution "should not have been necessary."

"Humanitarian assistance is not something to be negotiated; it is something to be allowed by virtue of international law," he said.

"Profoundly shocking to me is that both sides are besieging civilians as a tactic of war."

"Some 200,000 people are under siege in government-controlled areas -- and 45,000 in opposition-controlled areas," he added.

The text of resolution 2139, which was the subject of fierce negotiations between Moscow and the West and condemns terror attacks in Syria, calls for "all parties to immediately lift the sieges of populated areas... and other locations."

It "demands that all parties, in particular the Syrian authorities, promptly allow rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access for U.N. humanitarian agencies and their implementing partners, including across conflict lines and across borders, in order to ensure that humanitarian assistance reaches people in need through the most direct routes."

Ban added: "If this resolution is implemented quickly and in good faith, at least some of the suffering can be eased."

The humanitarian situation in Syria, where more than 140,000 people have been killed in the nearly three-year war and millions more forced to flee their homes, "continues to deteriorate," he said.

However, some diplomats doubt the effectiveness of the resolution in the absence of automatic sanctions should Damascus refuse to let aid convoys have access to all areas, including those hardest-hit.

"Half the country's people need urgent assistance. Host countries need support in caring for more than 2.5 million refugees," said Ban.

"Civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict. They are the daily victims of brutal violence and indiscriminate attacks, including the use of heavy weapons, aerial bombings, mortars and car bombs in population areas."

"There are continued reports of massacres and atrocities throughout the country," he added.

Western members of the Security Council have been mulling a humanitarian resolution for a year. After months of difficult talks, the council adopted a non-binding statement on October 2 urging more access to aid, but that statement produced little except administrative progress.

Moscow's U.N. ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, said Russian haggling had resulted in a resolution "of a balanced nature," while his U.S. counterpart Samantha Power called it "a long overdue and necessary step."

"This resolution is important because it contains clear demands for specific and concrete actions and there is a commitment to act in the event of non compliance... it remains to be seen whether our action today will have the beneficial results we intend," she said.

The move was also cautiously welcomed in London and Paris.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a statement that the move was "a vital step towards ensuring that humanitarian aid reaches millions of Syrians in desperate need of help, including those who have been denied their basic human right to food and medical aid."

But he cautioned: "Our priority now is the full and immediate implementation of the resolution."

"We will not hesitate to return to the Security Council if the Assad regime fails to meet the demands in this resolution," he warned.

In Paris, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius also said that the world would be watching the Damascus regime closely.

"The Security Council requests must be followed up. The resolution provides for a monitoring mechanism to ensure this, and the adoption of additional measures if no significant improvement is observed measures," he said in a statement.