Exclusive: U.N. says Syria combatants stymie aid effort

[riky]

Exclusive: U.N. says Syria combatants stymie aid effort

<p><a href="http://news.yahoo.com/exclusive-u-n-says-syria-combatants-stymie-aid-170539740.html"><img src="http://l1.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/vSc61rHRDedYsQ_rUnfISQ--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7Zmk9ZmlsbDtoPTg2O3E9NzU7dz0xMzA-/http://media.zenfs.com/en_us/News/Reuters/2013-11-26T202121Z_1_CBRE9AP1BHN00_RTROPTP_2_SYRIA-CRISIS-TALKS.JPG" width="130" height="86" alt="Arab League-United Nations envoy Brahimi arrives for a news conference on the situation in Syria at the United Nations in Geneva" align="left" title="Arab League-United Nations envoy Brahimi arrives for a news conference on the situation in Syria at the United Nations in Geneva" border="0" /></a>By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - The United Nations says its aid convoys cannot reach around 250,000 people in areas besieged by Syrian government forces or rebels, despite &quot;growing needs and intensifying conflict&quot;. The detailed assessment was included in a confidential paper that Valerie Amos, U.N. emergency relief coordinator, presented to a private, unannounced U.N. meeting in Geneva on Tuesday. &quot;Besieged communities continue to be cut off.&quot; International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi announced on Monday that peace talks would be held on January 22, the first direct talks between the government of President Bashar al-Assad and opposition forces seeking to topple him. The U.N. document entitled &quot;Humanitarian Situation and Response in Syria&quot; painted a grim picture, saying there were 900 armed clashes in Syria in October compared with 500 in May. It describes a &quot;dangerous and difficult environment for humanitarian workers&quot; and says 12 U.N. staff and 32 volunteers or staff of the Syrian Arab Red Crescent have been killed since the conflict began in March 2011.</p><br clear="all"/>

Source: You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login