US: Syrian regime must approve access of aid to homs

The US stressed Monday that the Syrian regime must approve the access of convoys to deliver humanitarian assistance into the Old City of Homs."We firmly believe that the Syrian regime must approve the convoys to deliver badly needed humanitarian assistance into the Old City of Homs now," State Department Spokesperson Jennifer Psaki told reporters.She affirmed that the situation "is desperate, and the people are starving, " and that an evacuation "is not an alternative to badly needed humanitarian assistance." She noted that the regime's proposal of evacuating women and children from the Old City "is not sufficient."Civilians must be allowed to come and go freely, but the people of Homs must not be forced to leave their homes and split up their families before receiving much-needed food and other aid," she remarked.She stressed "as of now, the ball is in the regime's court. It is a simple thing they must do, which so far they have refused: approve the humanitarian convoys into the Old City."