Britain has welcomed the “difficult decision” made by the Syrian opposition’s chief negotiator to take part in peace talks in Geneva aimed at ending the country’s war.
Riyad Hijab, the head of the Syrian High Negotiating Committee (SHNC), announced late on Friday that it had decided to take part in the talks following a first meeting between the UN envoy and representatives of Bashar al-Assad’s government.
The British foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, called for the talks to deliver a “political transition away from Assad and end the suffering of the Syrian people”.
He said: “The UK supports this process and calls for complete and unfettered humanitarian access across Syria, and an end to all violations of international humanitarian law, as set out in UN security council resolution 2254.”
Sixteen people have died in the besieged Syrian town of Madaya since aid was delivered in three convoys this month. Médecins Sans Frontières said there were an estimated 320 cases of malnutrition in the town of 20,000 people, with 33 people in danger of dying if they did not receive “prompt and effective treatment”.
Restrictions were placed on humanitarian assistance to the town, including the supply of essential medical supplies and therapeutic food to treat severe cases of malnutrition, after heavy shelling of the town last summer and a subsequent siege. MSF said there were no doctors in Madaya.
“It is totally unacceptable that people continue to die from starvation and that critical medical cases remain in the town when they should have been evacuated weeks ago,” said the MSF director of operations, Brice de le Vingne.
“There needs to be a permanent and independent medical presence in Madaya immediately, as we expect the medical situation to worsen as access to healthcare for people inside remains extremely limited.”
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