Russian aid plan for Syria's eastern Ghouta area is not enough, UN says

A Russian plan for a five-hourpause in fighting in Syria's eastern Ghouta needs to be expandedto allow aid deliveries toenter and civilians and urgentmedical cases to leave, United Nations officials said onThursday.

Hundreds of people have died in 11 days of bombing ofeastern Ghouta, a swathe of towns and farms outside Damascusthat is the last major rebel-controlled area near the capital.

The onslaught has been one of the fiercest of Syria's civilwar, now entering its eighth year.

"You are failing to help us help civilians in Syria," UNhumanitarian adviser Jan Egeland told diplomats from 23 states attending a weekly meeting in Geneva.

"Eastern Ghouta is devoid of respect for international law."

Some 400,000 people trapped in government-besieged easternGhouta need life-saving aid, and the only convoy allowed so farthis year was a small one in mid-February with aid for just7,200 people, Egeland said.

Russia, a strong ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad,has called for daily five-hour local ceasefires to establish what it calls a humanitarian corridor so aid can enter theenclave and civilians and wounded can leave.

But the first such truce on Tuesday quickly collapsed whenbombing and shelling resumed after a short lull.

"We were not involved in the talks that led to thedeclaration of a five-hour pause. And if we had been, we would say that it is not enough," Egeland said.

Trucks on standby

Egeland said a "two-way" humanitarian corridor was needed,with several convoys each week into eastern Ghouta, while 1,000priority medical cases must be removed for treatment.

"Since the resolution was adopted, it [the humanitariansituation]did not get better, it got worse," said Egeland.

"I have to say I know no humanitarian actor... who thinksthe five hours is enough for us to be able to deliver relief into eastern Ghouta and to organize orderly medical evacuationsout," he said of the Russian unilateral declaration.

During Thursday's meeting of the humanitarian task force inGeneva, the UN received notice that it may get permission from Damascus to go to Douma in eastern Ghouta.

"We have 43 trucks standing by to go there and fullwarehouses to load into the trucks as soon as we get the permit," Egeland said.

UNSyria envoy Staffan de Mistura told reporters the worldbody would not give up seeking a full 30-day ceasefire, as mandated by the UNSecurity Council last Saturday.

"We are determined because otherwise this becomes thecopycat of Aleppo," de Mistura said, referring to a battle for besieged rebel-held eastern Aleppo in late 2016.

Ghanem Tayara, chairman of the Union of Medical Care andRelief Organizations working in Syria, said some 1,123patients need to get out of eastern Ghouta, where twohospitals have been bombed since Saturday's resolution.

"That means these people will die during the next few daysif we don't take them out. They need intensive care units. Wedon't have them," Tayara said.