(Vatican Radio) The United Nations is welcoming reports the Syrian government and
opposition have agreed to allow civilians to leave the old city of Homs, an area that
has been cut off from humanitarian aid for more than a year. Listen to this
report from Nathan Morley:
Syria’s state-run
news agency says the deal covers "innocent civilians" including women, children, the
elderly and the injured. The agreement was also reported to include a plan to provide
humanitarian assistance to civilians in the old city.
Meanwhile, the delays
regarding Syria's chemical weapons elimination and destruction programme are not "insurmountable"
according to a top UN official.
“The deadline of 30th of June 2014 we have
stated and reiterated by the Secretary-General can be met. That is an important one.
Intermediate milestones ideally should have been met. What we are now doing is to
ensure that a plan will be available against which further benchmarking can take place
which allows for planning, preparation, swift implementation.” said Sigrid Kaag,
the Special Coordinator of the Joint Mission of the Organization for the Prohibition
of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
Ms. Kaag said she will be travelling to Syria to
work with her team to ensure that "everything is done", from verification to inspection.