A war of words at the United Nations headquarters, as the US and Russia continue to accuse each other of carrying out Monday's deadly attack on an aid convoy in Syria. But even as clashes intensify, the UN says it plans to resume some aid convoys as soon as Thursday to deliver urgent aid to Syrians. CCTV's UN correspondent Liling Tan reports from New York.
As warring factions clash in Syria, a war of words at the Security Council over who's responsible for Monday's deadly attack on an aid convoy.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said, "Then we heard a completely different story. The defense ministry said that the aid convoy had been accompanied by militants in a pick-up truck with a mortar. We've seen no evidence of that, but that in any case would not justify a violation of the cessation of hostilities. And by the way, that mortar could never have inflicted the damage that has been caused on those trucks."
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said, "Many said it could have been a rocket or an artillery shelling -- that was what the initial reports were. Then helicopters or warplanes were mentioned, so I think we need to refrain from emotional reactions and not make comments immediately, public comments but first to investigate and be very professional."
Monday's attack on an aid convoy delivering supplies to a town near Aleppo city had further derailed an already fragile ceasefire brokered by both US and Russia.
It thrust the UN into emergency mode to salvage a truce meant to pave the way for a political peace process. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed outrage at the attack that killed twenty people on Monday, and tried to bring the focus back to ending the protracted Syrian war.
Ban Ki-moon said, "We are at a make or break moment. I challenge everyone to use their influence now to restore a cessation of hostilities, enable humanitairan assistance everywhere it is needed and support the United Nations in charting a political path for the Syrians to negotiate a way out of the hell in which they are trapped."
