The closed-door consultations are scheduled for 11:30 a.m. ET (1630 GMT) on Wednesday and were jointly requested by New Zealand and Spain, backed by other Western powers, Reuters reported.
"There are reports of at least 30,000 people displaced from Aleppo and it’s the middle of winter," New Zealand Ambassador Gerard van Bohemen said in a statement to Reuters. "New Zealand and Spain considered this was a situation the Security Council could not ignore."
Hundreds of thousands of civilians could be cut off from food if Assad government forces encircle opposition-held parts of Aleppo, the United Nations said on Tuesday, warning of a new exodus of refugees fleeing a Russian-backed assault, Ad Hoc News reported.
It was not clear what, if anything, the 15-nation Security Council will agree on Wednesday. The council usually finds it difficult to reach consensus on Syria because Russia, one of the five permanent veto powers, strongly backs Assad.
The council session comes just ahead of a crucial meeting of major powers in Germany.
International powers, including Russia, the United States, Saudi Arabia and Iran, are due to meet on Thursday in Munich in a bid to resurrect the talks. But diplomats have little hope for negotiations as long as the offensive continues.
التعليقات (1)