Russia Seeks UN Security Council Endorsement of Syria Ceasefire

Resolution Also Calls for Quick Aid Delivery, UN Support for Peace Talks

by Jason Ditz, 

Some reports of isolated fighting and some grousing aside, the Syrian ceasefire that went into effect yesterday is largely holding, with hope that it could lead to some formal peace talks in the near future, as well as some long needed humanitarian aid deliveries.

Russia, one of the brokers of the deal, has brought it to the UN Security Council, seeking a quick vote on endorsement of the ceasefire, UN support for future peace talks in Kazakhstan, and a call for the UN to deliver humanitarian aid throughout the country.

Resolutions on Syria don’t have an easy time at the UN Security Council, with the US and Russia tending to veto one another’s proposals most of the time, sometimes seemingly for spite. Russia, Turkey, and Iran are planning the Kazakhstan talks, and Russia is also urging Egypt to join the process. They have made clear that the US is welcome to help too, but only after the January 20 inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.

The UN Security Council has indicated that the vote on the resolution will happen Saturday morning. So far, there are no reports of any specific threats to veto the resolution, but Russia’s explicit exclusion of the pre-Trump US is likely to add a bit of tension to the voting process.