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France and Russia carried out a joint humanitarian operation to Syria on the night of Friday, July 20 to Saturday, July 21, to reach a rebel enclave taken over by the regime in April, a first in the conflict ravaging the country. country since 2011. An Antonov 124 heavy carrier of the Russian army, loaded with 50 tons of medical equipment and basic necessities provided by France, took off around 3 am (1 am GMT) from Châteauroux airport (center from France) to the Russian base of Hmeinim in western Syria, said airport manager Mark Bottemine to AFP
This joint humanitarian operation is a first in Syria between Russia, which changed the situation by flying militarily to the aid of President Bashar al-Assad in 2015, and a Western country. "In the context of UN Security Council Resolution 2401, this project aims to provide better access to aid for the civilian population," the French presidency said in a joint French-Russian statement. Aid for Eastern Ghouta, near Damascus, to be distributed Saturday under the supervision of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), it was said Friday, July 20 at the Quai d'Orsay
"Russia won"
France obtained "guarantees" from Russia that the regime would not obstruct the movement, as it does regularly with UN convoys, and that any "political recovery" and any "diversion" of the material would be avoided, according to Paris. "The Russians intervened in a very decisive manner so that the authorizations are delivered" and that the aid is conveyed "within deadlines", it was noted to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In a few hours, Medical equipment, tents, kitchen kits and blankets – some pallets marked "Crisis Center" of the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs – were embarked in the gaping belly of the cargo, said an AFP photographer. The aid provided by France amounts to 400,000 euros. Medical equipment (antibiotics, resuscitation equipment, infusions, compresses, etc.) is intended for 500 heavy casualties and 15,000 minor injuries, the Eastern Ghouta having suffered a flood of fire from the regime in March-April before capitulating after five years of siege.
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After Aleppo, Homs and Ghouta, Bashar al-Assad continued his reconquest on the ground against rebels and jihadists with the help of Russia, but also Iran and Lebanese Hezbollah. For François Heisbourg, president of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London, France "takes note with this operation of the fact that Bashar and Russia won militarily."
"No good and bad Syrians"
"This is somewhere recognition of a state of affairs," he told AFP. "The Russians wanted to politically enhance their military victory. It is still necessary that interlocutors be ready to play the game, "he notes. Paris defends itself to validate in any way a "pax russa" in Syria. "It's not a political coup, it's a humanitarian operation," insists the Quai d'Orsay. "Our demands on Russia and our vision of the political solution do not change," but "if we want a political solution, we need confidence-building measures."
The President Emmanuel Macron has been trying for months to involve Westerners in the search for a political solution under the aegis of the UN. But the process skates, Bashar al-Assad being all the less inclined to negotiate that he advances militarily. The granting of French aid in areas under the control of the regime could also raise questions. It must be provided "everywhere in Syrian territory without exception, where international humanitarian law must be fully respected," replies the communique. "In humanitarian matters, we never decided who were the good Syrians, who were the bad Syrians," added the Quai. The emergency program of 50 million euros announced by Emmanuel Macron in April is addressed to all Syria, it is observed.
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