Group of nations urge U.N. Security Council to take action to ensure access for Syrian aid

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States, Saudi Arabia, Britain, France and other nations are demanding the U.N. Security Council takes action to ensure aid convoys reach millions of needy Syrians as violence diminishes, according to a letter seen by Reuters on Wednesday.

In a rebuke to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies Russia and Iran, the letter signed by 14 heads of mission in Geneva raised "serious concerns" about the implementation of seven Security Council resolutions on humanitarian access in Syria.

"We remain extremely concerned that the United Nations is being excluded from sending humanitarian convoys to besieged and hard-to-reach areas inside Syria," said the letter, dated July 24 and addressed to the Security Council President, Chinese Ambassador Liu Jieyi.

"The trend has worsened significantly in recent months," the signatories said, adding that since April only two U.N.-supported convoys had been able to access territory besieged by forces loyal to Assad.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-aid-exclusive-idUSKBN1AB21V