United Nations, Jun 24 (PTI) India has called for enhanced humanitarian assistance to all Syrians without any "discrimination, politicisation or preconditions", saying decades long violence and terror has left millions of people in a dire condition in the war-torn country.

Speaking at the UN Security Council meeting on Syria (Humanitarian Affairs), Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs (United Nations Political), Prakash Gupta on Wednesday said "concrete steps" need to be taken to address hurdles obstructing functioning of cross-border and cross-line humanitarian operations in Syria.

"It is abundantly clear that the decades long violence and terror has caused a devastating impact on the lives of Syrians. More than 11 million people across Syria are in dire need of humanitarian assistance of one form or the other," said Gupta.

Gupta noted with concern that the presence of foreign forces and external support to armed groups is only making the situation worse and added that the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic and the adverse impact of sanctions on the health facilities and humanitarian operations have further exacerbated the situation.

He stressed that these measures need to be reviewed so as to ensure that the country's capacity to access and absorb humanitarian assistance and medical support is not hindered.

Gupta said India is encouraged by the ongoing technical dialogue between relevant member states and humanitarian actors on this issue.

"We have been consistently calling for enhanced and effective humanitarian assistance to all Syrians throughout the country without any discrimination, politicisation or any preconditions. What we need immediately is an active engagement that is consistent with sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria and that addresses the urgency of the humanitarian issues to alleviate the sufferings of the Syrian people," he said.

"We need concrete steps to address hurdles that are obstructing the functioning of both cross-border and cross-line operations, especially as we are barely a few weeks away from the mandate renewal deadline for the humanitarian aid mechanism resolution," Gupta said.

The Security Council's resolution authorising the UN cross-border operation in Syria expires on July 10. Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Ramesh Rajasingham warned that a failure to extend the authorisation will have stark consequences.

"It would disrupt life-saving aid to 3.4 million people in need across the north-west, millions of whom are among the most vulnerable in Syria," he told the Council.

The Security Council resolution had decided that the UN humanitarian agencies and their implementing partners were authorised to use routes across conflict lines and the border crossings of Bab al-Salam, Bab al-Hawa, Al Yarubiyah and Al-Ramtha, in addition to those already in use, in order to ensure that humanitarian assistance, including medical and surgical supplies, reached people in need throughout Syria through the most direct routes, with notification to the Syrian authorities.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, addressing the Council virtually from Brussels, strongly appealed to the 15-nation Council to reach consensus on allowing cross border operations as a vital channel of support for another year.

"A failure to extend the Council's authorisation would have devastating consequences. The Syrian people are in dire need, and it is essential to mobilise all our capacities, along all channels," he said.

Guterres told the Council that in the last one year, the UN has been carrying out massive cross-border operations in Northwest Syria -- with more than 1,000 trucks moving through a single crossing point per month.

“Each step of the delivery is scrupulously monitored by people on the ground to ensure that this aid is not diverted and reaches its intended beneficiaries.”

Guterres added that the international community must not forget that the solution to the Syrian tragedy can only be political.

"Syrians must come together to agree on their future. It is time to end this decade-long nightmare,” he said.

Rajasingham echoed the Secretary-General's call to the Security Council to help ensure that the United Nations and its humanitarian partners have every opportunity to assist people in need by extending the cross-border authorisation for 12-months.

“When it comes to delivering life-saving aid to people in need across Syria, all channels should be made, and kept, available. The stakes are simply too high otherwise,” Rajasingham said.

"With 90 per cent of people in need requiring assistance for their survival, they would face a truly catastrophic situation. There is simply no substitute for the cross-border operation,” he said.

Gupta said while the Security Council's attention is focused on mandate renewal, terrorist groups such as the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant are attacking civilians in rural Idlib and in the northeast of Syria.

“The infighting amongst arms groups in the region has continued to endanger civilians,” he said.

Gupta voiced India's condemnation of the June 12 attack on Al-Shifaa Hospital in Afrin city in northern Syria.

“Moreover, we cannot turn a blind eye to the issue of the presence of nearly 8,800 third country nationals, including women and children in the al-Hol camp” and this issue also needs to be addressed with all seriousness, he said.

Noting that some countries from Europe and the Middle East have started to reestablish their diplomatic presence in Syria, India welcomed re-establishing formal channels of communication, saying this will help to bring the dire humanitarian situation into sharper focus, especially for the international donor community.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)