The UN Security Council has voted unanimously in favour of a resolution demanding a 30-day humanitarian ceasefire in Syria, where government forces have stepped up attacks on the besieged rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta near Damascus.
Despite initial resistance from Russia, a veto-holding ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, all 15 members of the council voted in favour of the cessation of hostilities on Saturday.
Germany welcomed the resolution. The Foreign Ministry appealed to all parties in Syria to implement the ceasefire immediately in order to allow aid deliveries.
"We urgently need the opportunity to evacuate the wounded and those who are seriously ill as well as the especially vulnerable like children," the ministry said in a statement. "Every minute counts. Every life counts."
Turkey's Foreign Ministry welcomed the resolution calling for a ceasefire throughout Syria but said the country would continue to fight "terrorist organisations" which threaten Syria's territorial integrity, according to a statement from a spokesman.
Olof Skoog, Sweden's ambassador to the UN, said that "humanitarian convoys and evacuation teams are ready to go."
The vote came after a flurry of last-minute negotiations on the text of the resolution, which was drafted by Kuwait and Sweden.
Russia had argued that there is no guarantee that militants would adhere to any ceasefire and demanded amendments to the draft.
Nikki Haley, US ambassador to the global body, slammed Russia for delaying the vote, saying it had "belatedly decided to join the international consensus, marking a moment of council unity that we must maintain beyond the 30-day timeframe."
She expressed deep scepticism that the Syrian regime would "allow humanitarian access to all of those who need it" and said that "our resolve to stand by our demands will be tested, and all of us must rise to the challenge."
More than 500 civilians, including 127 children, have been killed in the region since the government started an offensive there about a week ago, reported the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based war monitor.
At least 32 civilians were killed in a wave of airstrikes on different parts of Eastern Ghouta, the watchdog said on Saturday.
Government attacks were targeting medical teams trying to help victims in Eastern Ghouta, said the White Helmets, a volunteer rescue group.
More than 2400 people are estimated to have been injured in the region since government forces started their latest campaign on the Damascus suburb on Sunday.
Ten hospital and medical centres in the enclave have also been knocked out of service due to the intense government bombardment, the observatory said.
Medical teams are finding it extremely hard to cope with the high number of injury cases, the monitor added.
A rebel commander, meanwhile, said that Eastern Ghouta was on Saturday struck by government jets and those of Syria's ally Russia.
Government helicopters dropped barrels packed with bombs on several districts in Eastern Ghouta, causing heavy damage to buildings, the commander told dpa.
Eastern Ghouta is one of the last remaining areas near Damascus under rebel control, and the mounting deaths of civilians there has drawn increasing international criticism.
A total of 400,000 people in the region have been largely cut off from humanitarian aid, and activists have warned that the situation is dire, with food and medical supplies running out.
Australian Associated Press
