Syrian observatory: No civilian evacuation from homs till now

Up till now the process of pulling out children, women and elders from the besieged districts of Homs has not started yet, despite the government promise to put into effect a relevant UN-brokered agreement as of Monday.In a press statement, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that the evacuation process has not started and no humanitarian aid was allowed into the long-blockaded city.It pointed out that more than 1200 civilians are trapped in those districts which are surrounded by government forces for nearly two years.UN-Arab League Joint Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi announced yesterday that the Syrian government has agreed to allow a safe exit for women and children from the besieged Homs Governorate as of Monday, as well as allowing relief aid to enter the city.Meanwhile, the Observatory reported that clashes between opposition and regime forces around the village of Zara continued. It added that regime forces have taken over the area between the villages of Al-Zara and Kafar- Retch.For his part, Homs Governor Talal Al-Barazi said, in a meeting with a delegation representing the UN Resident Coordinator in Syria on Monday, that the governorate is waiting for an answer from the UN representatives as to specify the number of civilians who are willing to exit the area. He stated that evacuation of civilians, particularly women, children and elders, from Homs old city is a result of arrangements taken by the Governorate 4 months ago.The governor said that all willing civilians will be taken to places they want and be provided with all medical and food aid, adding that the Governorate had asked international organizations, including the International committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), to contribute in bringing the civilians out of Homs old city. He said that evacuating civilians from Homs old city or any other area is a main tendency for the Syrian government, which is trying to evacuate all civilians who want to be evacuated, stressing that there are not obstacles hindering the delivery of humanitarian aid to any area except the attacks of the armed groups against humanitarian convoys in hot spots."The humanitarian aid is reaching all areas without exceptions and in cooperation with the international humanitarian institutions," Al-Barazi said in statements carried by the state news agency (SANA).He added that focusing on the old city of Homs by the coalition delegation is unjustified, especially that the Syrian government has set a humanitarian response plan for all the Syrian areas."The Syrian government has implemented 85 percent of this plan in Homs during the last year," he concluded.