Throwing light on the ongoing crisis in Syria and Turkey, William Morris, Secretary General of the Next Century Foundation released a podcast discussing the gravity of the situation on ground in the earthquake hit zones. He appeals for aid. He also covers the issue of partial coverage faced by Syria and urges to international community to come forward and help the people affected.

I really am really worried about the Syrian situation. This earthquake has hit Syria as badly as it has hit the Turks and and in some instances worse. And when I’m saying hit Syria, it’s not like the news shows it where we’re talking only about hitting the northwest of Syria, the rebel held area, it’s hit right across Syria, and it’s hit severely in Aleppo, and hit severely in Hama and hit severely in Latakia. This has been a cruel and brutal earthquake, and nobody is reporting from the middle of Syria and talking about what’s going on. And little or no aid is going through. And you hear people like David Miliband from International Rescue (Committee), talking about the difficulties of getting aid in because only one border crossing is open it isn’t getting across that single border crossing. Why? Because the Turks are not keen to see it go, why? Because they are in desperate need of aid to and goodness knows.

No Earthquake Aid Reaching Syria

I mean, the there has been  no disaster relief from anybody in the international community in the west, to Syria. None at all to any intents and purposes. Zero zilch, a complete pathetic ignorance of as people suffer and die in their 1000s and people are getting text messages from under the rubble and from relatives and slowly the text messages stop coming as people are no longer able to message and they die. And all that so many people in Syria. America has condescendingly said it will lift sanctions on to allow people to give aid. So why aren’t they in there? Why isn’t the disaster emergency committee going in? Why isn’t it providing relief or aid in central Syria? There are precious few, precious few and those that are out providing aid are coming from countries like Iran, for goodness sake. I mean, where is the West? Where are we are we no heart? We’re going to wait watch out the entire nation. And it is not just let me repeat it is not just England. It’s it’s all of Syria. The news is so misleading. The international news coverage is misleading and the UN? You can blame Russia you can blame Turkey. But blame yourself, blame Britain and America and the people of it. Do you know we’ve been trying to raise money at the Next century foundation and it is immensely difficult to raise money for Syria. Why is that? Oh, I speak to friends and they say oh well we given to the disasters emergency committee. You think they’re going to give money in Syria? They’re going to touch Syria no, treated like a pariah state. You realize how poor Syria was before this whole mess began sanctions. You realize what that does to people. Doesn’t hurt the leadership. Don’t you get that impression? What it does the people no fuel, no nothing. People living in mass poverty. They talk about 90% in Idlib believe leaving in that sub human survival levels 90% of Syria is living in misery. They cannot sustain themselves. But they had hope in their hearts because the war had ended. And now that hope has been snatched from them as they see family after family dying in this earthquake and little well and no help from the west. It really is shocking. There are people in the Gulf trying to get hold of blankets and so on but bless their hearts. What’s needed in Syria is baby milk powder, nappies, female sanitary products, medical supplies most of all medical supplies for the earthquake zones that’s desperately needed. desperately needed. We need what do we need? We need everything from paracetamol to oxygen masks these things are needed. Surgical instruments, everything. So this is vitally important and it’s yeah, so what does that mean? That means donations to people who will take stuff in. We’re trying to get ahold of get get one of our people in Beirut Jaafar to take a van with medical supplies to Damascus so they can be distributed to the war. War zones. I was gonna say it’s like a war zone to the disaster zones in Homs and Hama and Latakia. One small town in Latakia has been wiped off the map I mean, do you have any comprehension that has bad this is and how literal anybody in the international community is doing to help in Syria. Zero from the West, not something zero nothing. Nothing. Nothing is being done. As people in desperate you know how cold it is? No fuel, no gas. No, nothing. I mean, it is awful. It’s cold now. In the mountains in Syria and in the higher towns. And we weep crocodile tears. It’s all over the news. We’re watching it every day. There were even news reports. Actually, astonishingly, coming out of Aleppo. Didn’t mean any aids going in does it? Nothing, not even any any conversation about aid going into Aleppo. Nothing, nothing, nothing. And we we sit here I mean, and it is possible. It’s quite possible. If you’re. I mean, if you’ve got higher value a produce, I mean, I’m not doing blankets now but higher value stuff. They’ll accept them at the Syrian Embassy in Paris. And get, you know the lists of the medical supplies that are needed desperately. God knows, I mean, it is so bad and so wrong, that this whole situation is ignored. And continues to be ignored by the international community. It’s one of the great shames of our age. We’ve, I just, I’m astonished by it. But what to do? Well, I know what we can do. I know what you can do. I mean, you can help. We have a page on JustGiving if you look on the Next Century Foundation website and we will be getting money and God knows you can you can do stuff. For goodness sake. Do what you can. Aid for Syria, with Syria. Because you don’t like the Syrian government: You got to punish the Syrian people. That’s what we’re doing. It’s cruel, really to ignore an entire country. And it’s out of date. The way Britain and America and France and Switzerland and the way we are ignoring them Spain, we’re all ignoring Syria and its most desperate moment. And it’s wrong, cruelly wrong. Wouldn’t you say? Okay, bless your hearts. Say a prayer. If you can do nothing else than light a candle in your church or before whatever God you worship and say a prayer for the people of Syria because they have suffered a decade of war and now they suffer again. God bless you.