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| Syria aid operation set to begin as UN condemns barrel-bomb attacks | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Aid operations are due to start in besieged areas of Homs, a US official said, as Syria and the United Nations agreed to hold a "humanitarian pause" on fighting in the devastated city. | |
| The agreement came as a non-governmental organisation said more than 250 people had been killed by the regime in barrel-bomb attacks on Aleppo, which were condemed by the UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon. | |
| Clashes between rebels and troops raged inside Aleppo's central prison after Islamist fighters freed hundreds of prisoners, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. | |
| A week after the situation in Homs was discussed at peace talks in Geneva, the state news agency, Sana, said agreement had been reached to allow aid in and safe passage out for civilians. | |
| "Homs governor Talal al-Barazi and UN resident co-ordinator Yaacoub El Hillo have reached an agreement securing the exit of innocent civilians from the Old City and the entrance of humanitarian assistance for civilians who choose to stay," it said. | |
| The UN announced there would be a "humanitarian pause", with spokesman Farhan Haq citing the UN under secretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief, Valerie Amos. | The UN announced there would be a "humanitarian pause", with spokesman Farhan Haq citing the UN under secretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief, Valerie Amos. |
| The deal clears the way for delivering lifesaving supplies for about 2,500 trapped civilians, with activists saying people have survived on little more than olives for weeks. | The deal clears the way for delivering lifesaving supplies for about 2,500 trapped civilians, with activists saying people have survived on little more than olives for weeks. |
| Sana said "the relevant Syrian authorities will implement the deal by providing the necessary humanitarian assistance". | Sana said "the relevant Syrian authorities will implement the deal by providing the necessary humanitarian assistance". |
| The US state department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said it was understood the operations would begin on Friday morning "and will include a local humanitarian pause while the evacuations take place and while the food and other humanitarian assistance is delivered". | |
| Rebel-held districts in Homs have come under nearly daily shelling since the army blockaded them in June 2012. Among the besieged residents are at least 1,200 women, children and elderly people, the Britain-based Observatory has said. | |
| In Geneva, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said food and supplies had been placed on the outskirts of Homs but they would not be delivered until safety was assured. | In Geneva, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said food and supplies had been placed on the outskirts of Homs but they would not be delivered until safety was assured. |
| "They're not going to travel by night, but the agreement for delivery is there, and that is what we are welcoming," the OHCHR spokesman Jens Laerke said. | |
| "You may only hear about the actual delivery when it has taken place. And that is simply to ensure the safety of our staff." | "You may only hear about the actual delivery when it has taken place. And that is simply to ensure the safety of our staff." |
| In Aleppo, meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory said more than 250 people have been killed in six days of regime barrel-bomb attacks, as a coalition of rebels announced a new military operation in the province. | In Aleppo, meanwhile, the Syrian Observatory said more than 250 people have been killed in six days of regime barrel-bomb attacks, as a coalition of rebels announced a new military operation in the province. |
| A spokesman for Ban, Martin Nesirky, said: "The secretary general is following with deep concern the continued armed escalation in Syria, most deplorably the ongoing aerial attacks and the use of 'barrel bombs' to brutal, devastating effect in populated areas. | |
| "He condemns once again the indiscriminate use of any weapon against civilians, in contravention of obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law. All civilians must be protected in any situation." | |
| The Islamic Front, which groups tens of thousands of rebels, and the al-Qaida franchise Al-Nusra Front announced a joint operation called "Truthful Promise Approaches", a reference to a passage in the Qur'an. | |
| The announcement came as the army seeks to take territory in the rebel-held eastern part of Aleppo city. The ground campaign has been accompanied by daily aerial attacks since Saturday by barrel bombs dropped from helicopters. | The announcement came as the army seeks to take territory in the rebel-held eastern part of Aleppo city. The ground campaign has been accompanied by daily aerial attacks since Saturday by barrel bombs dropped from helicopters. |
| These attacks have killed at least 257 people, including 76 children, and wounded hundreds more, the Observatory said. Widely condemned as indiscriminate, the bombing has sparked a mass exodus from the worst-hit neighbourhoods in the east of the city. | These attacks have killed at least 257 people, including 76 children, and wounded hundreds more, the Observatory said. Widely condemned as indiscriminate, the bombing has sparked a mass exodus from the worst-hit neighbourhoods in the east of the city. |
| Just outside the city, rebels and jihadists assaulted the central prison, freeing hundreds of detainees, the Observatory said. | Just outside the city, rebels and jihadists assaulted the central prison, freeing hundreds of detainees, the Observatory said. |
| But the NGO's director, Rami Abdel Rahman, said the army took back the initiative after Ahrar al-Sham – part of the Islamic Front – and al-Nusra had captured large parts of the sprawling complex. | But the NGO's director, Rami Abdel Rahman, said the army took back the initiative after Ahrar al-Sham – part of the Islamic Front – and al-Nusra had captured large parts of the sprawling complex. |
| An Ahrar al-Sham fighter told AFP that clashes were continuing, and state television said the attack was repulsed. The assault began with a suicide attack by an al-Nusra fighter at the prison's main entrance. | |
| In New York, the UN security council demanded Syria move faster to remove its deadly chemical weapons stockpile and meet a 30 June deadline set for destroying the arsenal. | |
| The 15 member nations "call upon the Syrian Arab Republic to expedite actions to meet its obligations", the council's president for the month, Lithuania's UN ambassador, Raimonda Murmokaite, told reporters. | |
| The chemical weapons must be transported to the Syrian port of Latakia "in a systematic and sufficiently accelerated manner", he insisted. | The chemical weapons must be transported to the Syrian port of Latakia "in a systematic and sufficiently accelerated manner", he insisted. |
| President Bashar al-Assad has pledged to eliminate Syria's entire chemical weapons arsenal by the end of June or face sanctions, including the possible use of force. | President Bashar al-Assad has pledged to eliminate Syria's entire chemical weapons arsenal by the end of June or face sanctions, including the possible use of force. |
| Less than 5% of the stockpile has been removed from Syria, according to Washington, and Damascus has just missed another key deadline. | Less than 5% of the stockpile has been removed from Syria, according to Washington, and Damascus has just missed another key deadline. |