US repeats demand that Assad open border crossings, refuses to lift sanctions
The US has again said it is refusing to lift sanctions on the Syrian government, insisting that humanitarian aid to the country for earthquake relief is not being impeded.
"There are many hurdles to overcome when providing humanitarian assistance in Syria, and especially after devastating earthquakes this week, but our Syria sanctions policy is not among them," State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters on Thursday.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres agreed with the US, saying sanctions are not blocking aid from getting into Syria.
"This is a moment in which everybody must make very clear that no sanctions of any kind interfere with relief to the population of Syria in the present moment," he said on Thursday.
The State Department also repeated a demand that Syria's President Bashar al-Assad open more border crossings for aid delivery.
Some aid organisations, including the Damascus-based Syrian Arab Red Crescent, have called for sanctions to be lifted on the Assad government.
The Syrian government has also upped its rhetoric, calling for sanctions to be removed. On Tuesday, Syrian Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad said that sanctions on Syria have "made the disaster all the worse".