Transcript of stakeout by UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura
Damascus, 18 February 2016

SdeM: Let me first of all say I had a conference call with the 18 countries who are part of the International Support Group. We had a video conference just today in Geneva, and we were reporting together with Yacoub El Hillo and Khawla Mattar how this long night took place. And I must say, I must say, they were all very encouraged by the fact that more than 100 trucks, 114 trucks, were able to reach 82,000 people Madaya, Mouadhimiyeh, up all the way to Kafrayah and Fouah, and also in Zabadany.

So I must say that this was a difficult test for the United Nations to show they could do it, for the government and for the armed opposition, but so far we are quite pleased about the fact that this was able to reach 82,000 people, so it did work.

Now of course we should go beyond that, we should go far beyond that in order to be able to reach everyone in Syria who is either besieged or in need of being assisted and that's why the idea also of air drops in Deir Ez Zour has become a very concrete proposal which we want to work on, but not only there, even eastern Aleppo, even in Daraa in eastern Ghouta, many other places including Kafrayah and Fouah, where people are in need of help. I think we can work on that.

Thank you very much.