Syria Faces Humanitarian Catastrophe if Turkish Border Is Closed

GENEVA - U.N. agencies warn of a humanitarian catastrophe if the Turkish border crossing into northwest Syria is closed, preventing aid agencies from delivering life-saving assistance to millions of Syrians displaced by war. 

In the next two weeks, the U.N. Security Council will decide whether the Bar al-Hawa crossing at the Turkish border will remain open.  It is the last remaining border crossing through which humanitarian aid can be transported into Syria. The World Food Program says the renewal of the U.N. resolution allowing the continued cross-border operation into northwest Syria through Turkey is critical.  WFP spokesman Tomson Phiri says the lives of millions of people are at stake. "Some 2.4 million people depend entirely on cross-border assistance for their basic needs, including food,” Phiri said. "WFP alone currently provides lifesaving support to about 1.35 million Syrians who are living in the northwest through monthly food rations.  This accounts for about 80 percent of all cross-border food assistance.”