Red Cross aid blocked from entering Baba Amro in Homs
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) says it has not been allowed to enter the stricken district of Baba Amro in Homs, where it had hoped to deliver food and medical supplies.
The ICRC said its convoy has reached the bombarded area, which has been under siege for 26 days, but was not allowed to enter.
It is unacceptable that people who have been in need of emergency assistance for weeks have still not received any help,” ICRC President Jakob Kellenberger said in a statement. “We are staying in Homs tonight in the hope of entering Baba Amro in the very near future. In addition, many families have fled Baba Amro, and we will help them as soon as we possibly can.”
The ICRC said that Syrian authorities had on Thursday given it a “green light” to enter Baba Amro on Friday.
Meanwhile, Syrian authorities have handed over the bodies of two journalists killed in February, American Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik, to the ICRC. They are being taken by ambulance from Homs to Damascus, the ICRC said.
Two French journalists, Edith Bouvier and William Daniels, arrived in France today, having been smuggeld out of Homs a week after one of them was injured. They were flown out of Beirut on board a medically equipped plane to a military airport west of Paris, where President Nicolas Sarkozy greeted them on their arrival.
‘Immediate and unhindered access’
Attempts by the ICRC to enter Homs comes after the United Nations Security Council, including China and Russia, voted unanimously in favour of getting humanitarian aid into the area, which has suffered heavy bombardment in recent weeks.
The UN also demanded that United Nations humanitarian chief Valerie Amos be allowed “immediate and unhindered access” to the country.
In a unanimous statement, the 15 nations on the council said they “deplore” the ongoing bloodshed as President Bashr al-Assad’s 11-month crackdown on protesters continues.
‘No special relationship’
Vladimir Putin also called for reconciliation in Syria, but denied Moscow had any special relationship with the country.
Realpolitik laid bare as Homs falls: Read Lindsey Hilsum's blog
“When Bashar al-Assad came to power he visited London and other European capitals first. We don’t have a special relationship with Syria.
We don’t have a special relationship with Syria. It is up to the Syrians to decide who should run their country, We need to make sure they stop killing each other. -Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin
“It is up to the Syrians to decide who should run their country, We need to make sure they stop killing each other,” Putin said in an interview with The Times.
At least 7,500 people have been killed in the uprising, according to the United Nations.
The rebel Free Syrian Army said on Thursday it was leaving the Baba Homro district in a “tactical withdrawal”.
The FSA said 4,000 civilians had refused to leave their homes and it was pulling back to save them from an all-out assault.
Read more: The horror in Homs
‘Extremely frustrating’
Prime Minister David Cameron spoke of his frustration at Britain’s inability to do more directly to to prevent the slaughter in Syria and said the UK was gathering evidence for a prosecution of Assad.
It is extremely frustrating. I wish we could do more but we have to be realistic about what we can achieve about holding them to account. -Prime Minister David Cameron
“It is extremely frustrating that we cannot do more,” he said.
“The scenes that we have seen on our televisions are appalling.
“I wish we could do more but we have to be realistic about what we can achieve about holding them to account. Gathering the evidence, using that evidence to build a case in international law that he can never hide from – that we can do.”
The worsening crisis in Syria forced the UK to withdraw its diplomatic staff on Thursday and close its embassy in Damascus.
Foreign Secretary William Hague has again urged those fighting for the Assad regime to lay down their arms.