Evacuation in besieged Syrian town Darayya must respect humanitarian law

The Office of the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria warned Friday that a planned evacuation of fighters and civilians starting Friday in the besieged Syrian town of Darayya must be carried out in full compliance with international humanitarian law.

"The UN was not consulted or involved in the negotiation of this agreement," the envoy's office statement said in a written statement.

"It is imperative that people of Darayya are protected in any evacuation that takes place, and that this takes place voluntarily," it added.

The situation in Darayya, which has been besieged since 2012, is "extremely grave," the office warned.

The statement comes as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold talks Friday in Geneva to discuss a number of issues, including Syria and Ukraine.

The latest face-to-face meetings between both officials are expected to give new impetus to intra-Syrian talks seeking to broker a political end to the five-year conflict.

The envoy's office urged members of the International Syria Support Group, in particular its two co-chairs the United States and Russia, to ensure that the agreement respects international humanitarian law and protection standards.

Source : XINHUA