UN chief: Cross-border aid to Syrians remains ‘essential’

By JENNIFER PELTZ
Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — A U.N. report says humanitarian aid delivery from Turkey to rebel-held northwestern Syria is tightly monitored and remains critical. The report from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres could be key to continuing the effort. The Associated Press obtained the document Wednesday. The report follows tense Security Council negotiations last summer over continuing the cross-border aid deliveries through the sole route where they are currently allowed. Members ultimately agreed to keep the aid flowing until Jan. 10, with an automatic six-month extension if Guterres issued a “substantive report” on the operation’s “transparency” and progress on delivering aid across Syria’s internal front lines.