Page 6 - aruba-today-20230314

A6 WORLD NEWS
Tuesday 14 March 2023

U.N. inquiry commission: Quake aid was slow to reach Syria

By JAMEY KEATEN and BAS- the earthquake,” Pinheiro
SEM MROUE said. “Actors didn’t rapidly
Associated Press direct urgent lifesaving aid
GENEVA (AP) — The inter- to northwest Syria which
national community and became the epicenter of
the Syrian government did neglect.”
not act quickly enough A week after the earth-
last month to help people quake, the U.N. an-
in need in the rebel-held nounced that Syrian Presi-
northwest after a deadly dent Bashir Assad agreed
earthquake hit Turkey and to open for three months
conflict-ravaged Syria, a two new crossing points
U.N.-backed commission from Turkey to the country’s
said Monday. rebel-held northwest to de-
The Feb. 6 magnitude 7.8 liver desperately needed
earthquake and strong aid and equipment to help
aftershocks that ravaged earthquake victims. Be-
southern Turkey and north- fore that, the U.N. had only
western Syria killed more been allowed to deliver aid
than 50,000 people, includ- to the northwest Idlib area
ing over 6,000 in Syria. through a single crossing at
The Independent Interna- Bab Al-Hawa, at Syrian ally
tional Commission of Inqui- Russia’s insistence.
ry on Syria said there should Brazilian Paulo Pinheiro, centre, Chairperson of the Commission of Inquiry on Syria, sitting between “They failed to deliver in-
be an investigation into commission members Hanny Megally of Egypt, left, and Lynn Welchman of Britian, right, talks to ternational emergency
why it took a week to open the media during a press conference before presenting the last report by the commission on the support including rescue
human rights situation in Syria at the 52nd session of the Human Rights Council, at the European
border crossings for aid to headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, Monday, March 13, 2023. teams and equipment in
flow. Associated Press the vital first week after the
It added that war-torn Syria earthquake,” Pinheiro said,
“now needs a comprehen- airport has been a main It took a week for the U.N. member Paulo Pinheiro adding that “Syrians, for
sive cease-fire that is fully point for aid flowing into and the government of said during a news confer- good reasons, felt aban-
respected” for civilians, in- Syria and flights were di- Syria’s President Bashar ence in Geneva. doned and neglected by
cluding aid workers, to be verted to two other airports Assad to agree on opening He added that “we also those who (are) supposed
safe. when it was closed. two more border crossings witnessed a complete fail- to protect them in their
The commission also said The commission is made up into the rebel-held region ure by the government and most desperate time.”
there have been new at- of outside, independent bordering Turkey as many the international communi- “Many voices are rightly
tacks in Syria, including a experts who have been people were still under the ty including United Nations calling ... for an investiga-
reported Israeli airstrike last working under a mandate rubble. to rapidly direct urgent tion and accountability to
week on the international from the U.N.-backed Hu- “Since the earthquake, we lifesaving aid for northwest understand how this failure,
airport of the northern city man Rights Council since have seen many acts to Syria.” this disaster happened be-
of Aleppo putting it out of nearly the start of the Syrian help victims by the Syrians “Many days were lost with- yond the earthquake,” Pin-
service for three days. The conflict in 2011. themselves,” commission out any aid to survivors of heiro said.q

Mexican president says his country safer than United States

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mex- Mexico since late February. news briefing. “There is no about 28 per 100,000 in- the supposed conspiracy.
ico’s president claimed “Mexico is safer than the problem in traveling safely habitants. By comparison, “These conservative politi-
Monday that his country United States,” López Ob- in Mexico.” Mexico’s na- the U.S. homicide rate is cians ... dominate the ma-
is safer than the United rador said at his morning tionwide homicide rate is barely one-quarter as high, jority of the news media in
States, a week after two at around 7 per 100,000. the United States,” he said.
U.S. citizens were killed and The president brushed off “This violence is not a real-
two kidnapped and later continued concern over ity,” he added. “It is pure,
rescued in the border city violence. Currently, the vile manipulation.”
of Matamoros. U.S. State Department has As if to undercut that state-
President Andrés Manuel “do not travel” advisories ment, police in the indus-
López Obrador said U.S. for six of Mexico’s 32 states trial and farming state of
travel warnings and reports plagued by drug cartel Guanajuato reported that
of violence in Mexico were violence, and “reconsider 8 people had been shot to
the result of a conspiracy travel” warnings for an- death and another seven
by conservative politicians other seven states. “This is a wounded in an attack on
and U.S. media outlets to campaign against Mexico a nightclub over the week-
smear his administration. by these conservative poli- end. The attack late Sat-
Despite López Obrador’s ticians in the United States urday killed six men and
assurances that Mexico who do not want the trans- two women at the club
was safe for travel, the FBI formation of our country to in the largely rural town-
confirmed last week that continue,” López Obrador ship of Apaseo El Grande,
three other women from Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador gives his said. where rival cartels have
the small Texas town of Pe- regularly scheduled morning press conference at the National The Mexican president in- been fighting for control for
ñitas have been missing in Palace in Mexico City, Feb. 28, 2023. Associated Press cluded U.S. media outlets in years.q