Note to correspondents -- UN Emergency Relief Coordinator on Old City of Homs

New York, 8 February 2014

Please find below a quote attributable to the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos :

“I am deeply disappointed that the three-day humanitarian pause agreed between the parties to the conflict was broken today and aid workers deliberately targeted. I extend my sympathies to people who were injured in fighting and commend the courage and tenacity of the UN Humanitarian Coordinator and other UN and Red Crescent aid workers who entered the Old City of Homs to try and deliver critical aid. Today’s events serve as a stark reminder of the dangers that civilians and aid workers face every day across Syria. I continue to call on those engaged in this brutal conflict to respect the humanitarian pause, ensure the protection of civilians and facilitate the safe delivery of aid. The United Nations and our humanitarian partners will not be deterred from doing the best we can to bring aid to those needing our help."