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| Syria aid convoy denied entry to besieged suburb of Darayya | Syria aid convoy denied entry to besieged suburb of Darayya |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Syrian government forces have blocked what would have been the first aid convoy to a besieged Damascus suburb for more than three years. | Syrian government forces have blocked what would have been the first aid convoy to a besieged Damascus suburb for more than three years. |
| The convoy had been given permission "from all parties" to proceed, the UN and Red Cross said. | The convoy had been given permission "from all parties" to proceed, the UN and Red Cross said. |
| About 4,000 people are thought to be trapped in the rebel-held suburb of Darayya. | About 4,000 people are thought to be trapped in the rebel-held suburb of Darayya. |
| Earlier this month, the UN said the Syrian government was refusing to allow aid to hundreds of thousands of people. | Earlier this month, the UN said the Syrian government was refusing to allow aid to hundreds of thousands of people. |
| In a warning on Friday, Save the Children said that 12,000 people, a quarter of them children, were running out of food and medicine after the last route into the Khan Eshieh Palestinian refugee camp near Damascus was blocked. | |
| Government forces shelled parts of Darayya on Thursday, the UK-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said. | Government forces shelled parts of Darayya on Thursday, the UK-based monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said. |
| The suburb borders a military airport used by Russian planes in support of the government of President Bashar al-Assad. | The suburb borders a military airport used by Russian planes in support of the government of President Bashar al-Assad. |
| Elsewhere in Syria: | Elsewhere in Syria: |
| What's left of Syria? | What's left of Syria? |
| Civilians under siege | Civilians under siege |
| Story of the conflict | Story of the conflict |
| 'Unacceptable conditions' | 'Unacceptable conditions' |
| The UN humanitarian co-ordinator for Syria, Jan Egeland, said that the aid convoy to Darayya had been preventing from reaching the "starving" area because it had baby milk on board. | The UN humanitarian co-ordinator for Syria, Jan Egeland, said that the aid convoy to Darayya had been preventing from reaching the "starving" area because it had baby milk on board. |
| UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters that the UN and Red Cross had aborted the mission to Darayya "because the convoy was refused entry, due to the medical and nutritional supplies on board". | UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters that the UN and Red Cross had aborted the mission to Darayya "because the convoy was refused entry, due to the medical and nutritional supplies on board". |
| The trucks carrying baby milk, vaccines, medical supplies and hygiene kits had been stopped at the last government checkpoint, Mr Dujarric said. | The trucks carrying baby milk, vaccines, medical supplies and hygiene kits had been stopped at the last government checkpoint, Mr Dujarric said. |
| "These conditions, imposed by government security personnel, were unacceptable, and contrary to earlier guarantees and approvals obtained from the Syrian government," he added. | "These conditions, imposed by government security personnel, were unacceptable, and contrary to earlier guarantees and approvals obtained from the Syrian government," he added. |
| The convoy was supposed to be a first step towards bringing in more aid for the people in Darayya, ICRC spokeswoman Krista Armstrong said. | The convoy was supposed to be a first step towards bringing in more aid for the people in Darayya, ICRC spokeswoman Krista Armstrong said. |
| "What we were bringing in was not enough for the people there. This was supposed to be a first step. We needed to assess what was needed and return," she said. | "What we were bringing in was not enough for the people there. This was supposed to be a first step. We needed to assess what was needed and return," she said. |
| She said people in Darayya were living in desperate conditions. | She said people in Darayya were living in desperate conditions. |
| "There's no electricity or water for the last three years so people have been improvising, burning plastic sort of as an alternative fuel to boil water that's not salubrious and for other means. That in itself is creating an extremely polluting environment and can lead to respiratory problems," she said. | "There's no electricity or water for the last three years so people have been improvising, burning plastic sort of as an alternative fuel to boil water that's not salubrious and for other means. That in itself is creating an extremely polluting environment and can lead to respiratory problems," she said. |
| The UN says it still does not have government permission to send aid convoys to about half of the 900,000 people in Syria it wants to reach. | The UN says it still does not have government permission to send aid convoys to about half of the 900,000 people in Syria it wants to reach. |
| There have been reports of people starving to death in some besieged areas and aid agencies say arranging humanitarian aid takes months to negotiate. | There have been reports of people starving to death in some besieged areas and aid agencies say arranging humanitarian aid takes months to negotiate. |