UK issues licences exempting earthquake aid from Syria sanctions

The UK said it was issuing two new licences to make it easier for aid agencies helping earthquake relief efforts to operate in Syria without breaching sanctions aimed at the government of President Bashar al-Assad and its backers.

The British government said the temporary new licences would "strengthen the timely and effective delivery of relief efforts by removing the need for individual licence applications".

"UK sanctions do not target humanitarian aid, food, or medical supplies, but we recognise that the current requirements for individual licencing are not always practical during a crisis response," Minister of State for International Development Andrew Mitchell said in a statement.

The licences provide broad protection to organisations to allow them to operate by authorising activities which would have otherwise been prohibited.

The news comes after the US issued a similar license last week, that would allow humanitarian aid for earthquake relief to be exempt from any sanctions that are in place on Syria.