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Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Lebanese Army is continuing its investigations and will later announce any information that does not affect the confidentiality of the investigation
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: It has not yet been determined whether the detainees belong to ISIS or another organization
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Around 10 people of different nationalities, including Lebanese nationals, were detained
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: The Lebanese army arrested a number of people in the Matn area of Mount Lebanon with possession it has not disclosed
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: We have strong indications that there are martyrs, injuries, and trapped people in the Salah al-Din area
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: Citizens should avoid Salah al-Din Street because anyone who approaches it is at risk of being directly targeted
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: Reality is that there is a very limited retreat of the vehicles, with the occupation forces providing cover undeer fire up to Salah al-Din Street
Gaza Civil Defense spokesman: Claims that the Israeli occupation has withdrawn from areas in the neighborhoods of al-Zaytoun, al-Tuffah, and al-Shujaiya are false
Hamas: The two delegations stressed that any negotiations must lead to the achievement of our people's goals and aspirations, foremost among which is ending the war and the complete withdrawal of enemy forces
Hamas: A delegation from the Hamas leadership, led by the head of the leadership council, Mohammad Darwish, met with an Islamic Jihad delegation, headed by its Secretary-General, Ziyad al-Nakhalah

ICRC insists on solid sanctions exemptions in quake-hit Syria: Chief

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 22 Feb 2023 09:39
3 Min Read

The ICRC chief says the committee encouraged sanctions exemptions in Syria in multilateral formats, including the UN Security Council.

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  • Robert Mardini, director-general of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) attends an interview with Reuters on the situation in Ukraine, in Geneva, Switzerland March 29, 2022. REUTERS/Denis Balibouse
    ICRC Director-General Robert Mardini attends an interview with Reuters on the situation in Ukraine, in Geneva, March 29, 2022 (Reuters)

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will continue to push for solid exemptions to make sure that the humanitarian response is not delayed in Syria, Director-General Robert Mardini told Sputnik.

"Sanction is always a political decision. From our side at ICRC we always insist to ensure that there are humanitarian exemptions when sanctions are decided among states," Mardini stressed on the sidelines of the 3rd Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum.

The Director-General considered that it is not the committee's role "to say whether sanctions are justified or not" but insisted that the ICRC "will continue to insist on the need to have very solid exemptions in any sanction regime, including the one in Syria to ensure that humanitarian action is not delayed, is not hindered, and there are no obstacles for any imports that would be critical to the survival of [the] civilian population."

Mardini indicated that the ICRC encouraged such exemptions in multilateral formats, including the UN Security Council.

"We advocate in the multilateral space for humanitarian exemptions in sanction regimes and resolutions adopted by the security council at the end of last year to ensure a humanitarian exemption carved out across sanctioned regime is something that was really encouraged by the ICRC behind the scenes," he explained.

He continued, "It's a permanent effort that we do with all countries who decide on sanctions to ensure that sanctions should not hinder or delay the provision of impartial humanitarian work and action."

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Mardini highlighted that Syria was already ICRC’s third largest operation before the earthquake with a budget of 170 million Swiss Franks ($183 million), adding, "Now, we decided in this initial phase to revise our appeal. That has reached now 200 million for Syria."

"As our operation unfolds, we will be adjusting, depending on our capacity to implement and cover the needs," the ICRC Director-General pointed out, reiterating that "it's a massive challenge and, the clock is ticking to avoid the next epidemic."

Read more: UN admits: 'We have failed the people in northwest Syria'

Earlier this month, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stressed that sanctions should not interfere with humanitarian assistance to the Syrians affected by the earthquakes and aftershocks that struck the country.

It is noteworthy that on February 9, the US Treasury Department issued a general license, which authorized for 180 days all transactions related to earthquake relief that would be otherwise prohibited due to unilateral sanctions. However, Syria has dismissed the US sanctions waiver as "misleading".

"While the sanctions waiver is proclaimed to allow the flow of humanitarian aid, the realities on the ground prove the opposite,” the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on February 11.

Despite the US Treasury announcement, only minimal Western aid has reached the quake-hit country.

Read more: WFP chief says militants in northwest Syria blocking access to area

  • Syria
  • Robert Mardini
  • Syria earthquake
  • ICRC

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