Members of UN assessment mission plan to visit the Syrian town of Douma in the near future, the Russian Defense Ministry’s Envoy to the Ceasefire and Humanitarian Task Forces Colonel Yuri Tarasov said, TASS reports.
"Once security issues in Easter Ghouta and issues concerning demining and clearing roads were resolved, the Syrian government, in conslutations with Russia, provided UN assessment missions with access to the area," he said. "On May 12, UN experts visited the Kafr-Batna and Saqba areas. In the near future, they will visit the town of Douma. The humanitarian task force is considering a plan to carry out such work in the Homs province," he added.
Russian representatives to the task forces have been promptly informing the office of the United Nations secretary general’s special envoy about the situation in the liberated areas "in order to ensure the involvement of humanitarian agencies in activities aimed at restoring peaceful life and resolving vital problems civilians returning to their homes are facing," Tarasov pointed out.
"We are considering the possibility of engaging international organizations in humanitarian mine clearance in the country. Consultations on establishing an office of the United Nations Mine Action Service in Damascus are nearly over," he said.
Russian envoys to the task forces remain ready to cooperate with international agencies, particularly on issues concerning the movement of aid convoys and assessment missions. Besides, members of task forces regularly provide UN bodies with information on humanitarian aid supplies, "which facilitates the delivery of aid to the regions that need it the most," Tarasov concluded.