The UN Security Council is to discuss Syria’s humanitarian situation on Thursday as the intensified fighting has severely affected the lives of an estimated 2.5 million people. France, which holds the presidency of the 15-nation council in August, had called for a ministerial meeting and proposed the establishment of a buffer zone inside Syria for relief purposes. On Wednesday, the European Commissioner for humanitarian affairs, Kristalina Georgieva, said in Brussels that the Syrian conflict has caused “immense” problems for the civilians. She urged the council in New York to demand wider access for relief workers to Syria.