Red Cross Urges Daily Truce in Syria, U.N. Calls for Unimpeded Access

The International Committee of the Red Cross on Tuesday called for a daily truce of two hours in Syria so it can deliver vital aid, as the U.N. urged Syria to allow aid groups unimpeded access to the country.

The ICRC has been in talks with Syrian authorities and rebels to try to agree a temporary halt to the fighting so it can get access to the worst affected areas.

"It should last at least two hours every day, so that ICRC staff and Syrian Arab Red Crescent volunteers have enough time to deliver aid and evacuate the wounded and the sick," said ICRC president Jakob Kellenberger in a statement.

Since February 11, Red Crescent and ICRC teams have managed to enter the cities of Homs, Bludan, al-Zabadani and Madaya to provide humanitarian relief.

"In Homs and in other affected areas, entire families have been stuck for days in their homes, unable to step outside to get bread, other food or water, or to obtain medical care," said Kellenberger.

"The current situation requires an immediate decision to implement a humanitarian pause in the fighting."

More than 6,000 people have died in an 11-month crackdown on dissent.

Later on Tuesday, the leader of the rebel Free Syrian Army welcomed the Red Cross’ call.

"We welcome this call," Colonel Riyadh al-Asaad told Agence France Presse in Beirut by telephone.

Asaad, however, voiced doubt that the regime would commit to such a truce.

"The regime is criminal and it would not implement (such a truce)," he said, adding that it "exploits such situations to kill more."

The rebel leader also claimed that defected forces "only act in defense and retaliate against gunfire if possible."

Also on Tuesday, the U.N. under secretary-general for humanitarian affairs Valerie Amos called on Syria to allow aid groups unimpeded access to the country.

"This is a major human rights crisis that is now moving into significant humanitarian consequences," Amos said after talks with EU aid commissioner Kristalina Georgieva.

"I call on all parties to resist violence, to recognize the importance of protection of civilians and grant unimpeded access to the humanitarian community so that we can help those people in desperate need," she added.

She also said she welcomed the dispatch last week of several International Committee of the Red Cross convoys and backed its call for a daily truce of two hours in Syria so it can deliver vital aid.