The global peace-keeping body United Nations Security Council on Friday unanimously approved cross-border aid extension for Syria. This means that the UN has given an extension for activities to be conducted at the Syria border through which humanitarian helps reaches the conflict-laden part of the country, reported AFP.

The previous authorisation for cross-border activities was to expire on Saturday. The activities can now be conducted for another six months without a hindrance. There’s a possibility of a further six-month renewal in the coming future. 

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The additional six-month renewal will be given on the basis of a report from the UN secretary-general at the end of the year.

This authorisation text is a combination of two drafts. One of them is proposed by Norway while the other was initiated by Russia.

The United States, on the other hand, wanted this authorisation to be renewed for another year and is satisfied with the current arrangement that indirectly covers the same time period.

This approval is the result of the US and Russias last minute compromise after extensive talks that were broadened to bring in the other three permanent members of the council — Britain, China and France.

 Calling the deal ‘histroic’, the Russian ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia said, “For the first time, Russia and the United States not only managed to reach an agreement but they also presented a joint text supported by all the council members.”

Some three million people live in jihadist-dominated northwest Syria, more than half displaced by the country’s decade-long conflict.

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Humanitarian organizations have been pleading for months for an extension of the UN authorization for the crossing at Bab al-Hawa.

For the past year, international organizations have been able to bring in medicine, food, blankets and COVID-19 vaccines through Bab al-Hawa on the border with Turkey — the only crossing for aid into the region that bypasses Damascus.

Russia, which wields veto power at the council, is a staunch ally of the Damascus regime.

President Joe Biden, meeting with President Vladimir Putin recently in Geneva is said to be a catalyst for an extension of the border crossing authorization.

This issue was seen as a test for possible cooperation between the US under the new Biden administration and Russia.