UN secretary general Antonio Guterres Tuesday welcomed the Bab al-Hawa border crossing reopening for aid delivery into northwest Syria.

In July, the UN Security Council failed to re-authorise the cross-border humanitarian aid delivery mechanism through Bab al-Hawa on the Turkish border.

The Syrian government has since offered to grant permission for aid delivery through the border crossing.

The UN was in talks with Damascus over the details of the permission.

“The secretary general welcomes the understanding reached by the UN and the government of Syria on the continued use for the next six months. The Bab al-Hawa border crossing will deliver life-saving humanitarian assistance to millions of people in need in Northwest Syria,’’ said Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for Guterres, in a statement.

The agreement resulted from engagement between UN Undersecretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths and the Syrian government for the world body and its partners.

The agreement was to continue providing cross-border humanitarian assistance at the necessary scale and principled manner that allows engagement with all parties.

“It will be for the purposes of seeking humanitarian access, and that safeguards the UN’s operational independence. The consent reaffirmed by Syria in recent days provides a basis for the UN and its partners to lawfully conduct cross-border humanitarian operations through Bab al-Hawa,’’ the statement said.

Mr Guterres also welcomed Syria’s extension of its authorisation for the UN to use the Bab al-Salam and al-Ra’ee border crossings for an additional three months, said Mr Haq.

The two crossings, also on the Turkish border, were opened for an initial period of three months in the aftermath of the February earthquakes that struck Syria and Turkey.

The authorisation had been renewed several times.

Mr Guterres also welcomed the Syrian government’s consent to cross the lines within Syria at Sarmada and Saraqib for the delivery of assistance for the next six months, said the statement.

(Xinhua/NAN)