UNSC to Hold Emergency Meeting on Syria Thursday

The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Tuesday to discuss the Syrian army offensive against the militant groups in Southwestern province of Daraa.

News ID: 71067

Date: 04 July 2018 - 11:02

TEHRAN (Defapress) -Sweden, which holds the rotating Security Council presidency, requested the meeting along with Kuwait, Swedish diplomats said yesterday.

For Thursday's meeting, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs will report to the 15 Council members about the humanitarian situation in Daraa, which borders Jordan.

The increased violence "indicates yet another failure by the parties of the conflict to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure," Sweden's UN mission said.

"Efforts must be intensified to de-escalate violence, also to enable the UN cross-border convoy from Jordan that is on standby at the border to deploy as soon as possible."

Meantime, Al Mayadeen news network reported citing a spokesman of the militant groups that the negotiations between the Russian military and the outlawed armed groups in southern Syria have been resumed.

"The talks between the Free Syrian Army and Russian troops have been resumed in the south of Syria under Jordan’s mediation," the spokesman was quoted as saying by the Al Mayadeen broadcaster.

On Friday, the militants derailed the negotiations by refusing to hand in the heavy arms.

The situation in the southwestern province of Daraa has escalated over recent several weeks with militants shelling the cities of Daraa and Sweida, while the government troops have launched an offensive in the region to clear the last terrorist pockets in the area.

According to sputnik, some militant groups in the region have already started siding with Damascus.

Last week, the first major group of militants from the Free Syrian Army (the Omari Brigades) sided with the government forces following talks with the representatives of the Russian reconciliation center. The group said it would fight against the militants from the Nusra Front and Daesh (ISIL or ISIS) together with the Syrian army south of the country.

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