U.N. Security Council Briefing on Syria

The U.N. Security Council met in New York City to receive a briefing from Stephen O’Brien, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General focused on humanitarian affairs, on his latest reports from the ongoing civil conflict in Syria. Mr. O’Brien said the humanitarian situation inside Syria was deteriorating rapidly and called on a nationwide cease fire that would allow aid routes to be reopened to besieged areas like the capital of Damascus. After his presentation, Security Council member state representatives talked about the ongoing conflict, with U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley telling the council it should turn its attention to Russia, which she said continued to prop up the faltering administration of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and protected him from Security Council actions aimed at curbing his use of chemical weapons and other alleged war crimes. close