The UN Security Council on Thursday expressed its outrage at recent attacks in Syria targeting civilians and medical facilities, stressing these actions may amount to war crimes.

In a press statement, the 15-nation council recalled the "obligation to distinguish between civilian populations and combatants, and the prohibition against indiscriminate attacks and attacks against civilians and civilian objects."

"The members of the Security Council reaffirmed the primary responsibility of the Syrian government to protect the population in Syria and reiterated that parties to the armed conflict bear the primary responsibility to take all feasible steps to ensure the protection of civilians," said the statement.

In addition to the attacks, the Syrian civilians are also suffering from humanitarian catastrophes.

On Thursday, a joint aid convoy of the International Committee of the Red Cross, Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the United Nations was refused entry to Syria's southern city of Daraya.

UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a daily briefing that of the 18 besieged areas in Syria, humanitarian workers have only had access to Yarmouk and Deir Ezzour.

He said the UN has not had permission to get access to half of the 905,000 people that it hoped to reach this month, including all of the locations in Aleppo.

The International Syria Support Group (ISSG) is scheduled to meet in Vienna next week to discuss the enhancement of a nationwide cessation of hostilities in the war-torn country, which is widely seen as critical for addressing current situation.

According to the statement, the Security Council welcomed the recent efforts of the co-chairs of the ISSG -- Russia and the United States -- to reaffirm commitment to press parties to the cessation of hostilities to abide by the ceasefire agreement that took effect on Feb. 27. 

Source:
courtesy of XINHUA NEWS AGENCY

by Xinhua News Agency

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