U.N. hopes Russian pullback will help peaceful transition in Syria

Mar 18, 2016 Following President Vladimir Putin’s announcement of a pullback of Russian forces in Syria, the United Nations recently expressed hope that the withdrawal will advance a peaceful political transition in the country.

Speaking during a news briefing in Geneva, U.N. spokesman Ahmad Fawzy said:

“The announcement by President Putin on the very day of the beginning of this round of intra-Syrian talks in Geneva is a significant development which we hope will have a positive impact on the negotiations aimed at a political solution of the Syrian conflict and a peaceful political transition in the country”

Elsewhere the U.N. Office for the Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that it couldn’t deliver life-saving supplies to four besieged Syrian towns due to security reasons.

Speaking about this, OCHA’s spokesman Jens Laerke said:

“We did have a convoy which was expected to enter into the four towns – Madaya, Zabadani, Foua and Kefraya yesterday – that was unable to proceed because of security concerns. As you know, these convoys have to be simultaneous to the four towns. If one is unable to proceed, the whole operation stops, that is simply in the agreement”,