By Ahmet Gurhan Kartal
LONDON (AA) – British foreign secretary has summoned Russian and Iranian ambassadors to the Foreign Office, a government statement said on Thursday.
Boris Johnson made clear in two separate meetings the British government’s concern over the actions of Iran and Russia in Syria, it said.
“I summoned the Russian and Iranian Ambassadors to the Foreign Office in order to convey in person the government’s profound concern over the situation in Aleppo,” Johnson said, according to the same statement.
He said: “Both Russia and Iran have failed to uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law, specifically by failing to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to civilians during the months when eastern Aleppo was besieged.
“They deserve no credit for the fact that an evacuation appears to be underway today. Having inflicted such suffering on the people of eastern Aleppo, Iran and Russia cannot expect praise for allowing some people to escape at the final hour. Both countries need to ensure the UN now oversees the evacuation process and that all civilians and non-combatants are properly protected.”
The statement further added the foreign secretary “set out the vital importance of protecting civilians and voiced deep concern at the reports of executions; ambulances being shot at, disappearances by pro-regime forces and how the Russian and Iranian governments were prolonging the suffering of the Syrian people through their support for the Syrian regime.
“The foreign secretary made clear that only a negotiated political settlement will bring peace to the people of Syria,” it added.
Johnson had also tweeted about summoning the envoys on his official account, saying: “I have just summoned the ambassadors of #Russia & #Iran to convey profound disquiet over #Aleppo. Crucial to protect civilians & deliver aid.”
On Thursday, the first group of people evacuated from Aleppo reached the opposition-controlled safe zone in Syria, according to Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak.
Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since early 2011, when the Bashar al-Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests — which erupted as part of the “Arab Spring” uprisings — with unexpected ferocity.
Since then, more than a quarter of a million people have been killed and more than 10 million displaced across the war-battered country, according to the UN. The Syrian Center for Policy Research, however, put the death toll from the six-year conflict at more than 470,000 people.
