The Director of the “Syrian Civil Defense”, Raed Al-Saleh, called on the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, to deal “with an open mind” with criticism about the UN’s handling of the earthquake disaster in northern Syria.
Al-Saleh said, through his Twitter account, that this blame “issued from rescue workers who lost their nails while trying to save those trapped under the rubble, and from the families of the victims who were grieving with their children and were hoping for a hand to extend and help them.”
Al-Saleh considered that Guterres’ statement, about the unrealistic nature of these criticisms, clearly contradicts the statement of his deputy for humanitarian affairs, Martin Griffiths, who acknowledged the abandonment of the people affected by the earthquake in northwestern Syria.
Al-Saleh pointed out that Guterres’ statements come at a time when sadness and pain are still hanging over the bereaved Syrians, “and the United Nations should have been keen to try to revive the trust and bridges that were destroyed with the Syrian society, and to heal the wounds, not to open them again,” as he put it.
Yesterday, the Secretary-General of the United Nations said that blaming the United Nations for the delay in the arrival of aid “was the easiest, but it does not reflect reality,” noting that the arrival of relief teams was easier in Turkey compared to Syria.
Last month, the United Nations agency admitted its negligence, pointing out that it had failed more than five million civilians residing in northwestern Syria, following the devastating earthquake that struck the country a week ago.
“The people of northwest Syria have failed us, and they are right to feel abandoned,” said UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths.
The United Nations did not respond to the distress calls made by the Syrians, humanitarian organizations and rescue teams after the earthquake that struck the region.
