Britain urges UNSC to debate Syria humanitarian crisis

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Friday his country will engage in urgent discussions with international partners on the humanitarian situation in Syria particularly in the besieged areas.As the first round of the Geneva II Conference reached an end earlier today, Hague said the plight of the Syrian people must be urgent priority."There is only one way of ending the Syrian conflict and that is through a political settlement," he said in a press release here. "The fact that these talks have taken place raises some hope, for the Syrian people, that a negotiated end to the conflict can be found."I thank UN and Arab League Special Envoy (Lakhdar) Brahimi for his part in stewarding the process," Hague pointed out."It is vital that the talks reconvene as planned on February 10, with both sides ready to move towards a political transition."The UK also strongly believes that Syrian women's groups must be included fully in the next round of Geneva negotiations, and we call on the UN to establish a mechanism to ensure this happens," he went on."In the meantime the plight of the people of Homs and other besieged areas must be the urgent priority. "I condemn the fact that the Syrian regime did not take any of the steps in its power to address humanitarian suffering, or stop the indiscriminate bombardment of Syria's towns and cities," the Foreign Secretary stressed."After more than 600 days of siege the situation in Homs is desperate. UN convoys are waiting outside Homs, and the Syrian regime should allow them to enter immediately, without any preconditions."The blocking of humanitarian aid and deliberate starvation of a civilian population is grotesque. The Syrian regime must know it will be held accountable for the fate of the people of Homs, Yarmouk and other besieged areas."The United Kingdom also believes that there is a compelling case for bringing the humanitarian situation back under discussion in the Security Council. We will discuss urgently with our partners what steps can be taken to ensure that aid reaches all those in Syria who need it," he added.The Syrian affair came up in the talks Hague has held with visiting French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius during the annual Britain-France Summit.