NEW YORK, July 11 (Interfax) - Russia has vetoed a new draft resolution of the UN Security Council, which would extend the cross-border mechanism of providing humanitarian aid for Syria by nine months.
The draft failed to pass because of a negative vote by a permanent UN SC member, British Ambassador to the UN Barbara Woodward said.
Thus, 13 SC members voted for the motion; China abstained.
An extension of the mechanism would be of no benefit for the Syrian people, Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya told the Security Council after the vote. Those saying that closing the cross-border mechanism would lead to a collapse of aid for Idlib ignore the fact that the Syrian government has opened two additional passages, which are working, he said.
The proposed resolution "allowed no hope of real rectification of the mechanism," nor was compromise-based, Nebenzya said.
"The problem, which the Swiss curators of the Syrian humanitarian dossier today failed to resolve, is not about extending the resolution, but its filling. In fact, our Swiss colleagues have overplayed and driven everyone into a deadlock, having made no effort to break it," Nebenzya said.
"Breaking the deadlock" would be possible by supporting a Russian draft, which sets out practical measures to rectify the cross-border mechanism, he said. "I would like to warn in public that, unless our draft is backed, the mechanism can be closed," Nebenzya said.
Later, the Russian draft, too, was rejected by a 3-2 vote with ten abstentions.
The mechanism involves delivering aid from Turkey to the opposition-controlled northwestern parts of Syria through the Bab al Hawa crossing point without consent from the Syrian government.
The itinerary was developed almost a decade ago and has since been periodically extended by the UN SC. Russia has repeatedly criticized the mechanism, saying aid to anywhere in Syria should be delivered with the consent of, and in close cooperation with, the legitimate Syrian government.
On January 9 the UN SC extended the resolution by six month, which means it expired on July 9.