UNITED NATIONS, July 10 (Xinhua) -- With the deadline just hours away, the UN Security Council failed Friday on its third attempt this week to extend its authorization for lifesaving food, medicine and shelter to cross into northwest Syria from Turkey.

Meeting via video-teleconference, the council took up a draft resolution -- presented by Belgium and Germany -- that would have kept humanitarian aid flowing through the Bab al-Salam and Bab al-Hawa crossing points until Jan. 10, 2021.

Thirteen of the council's 15 members voted in favor, but the text failed to be adopted owing to the negative votes cast by Russia and China, two permanent council members with veto power.

The current authorization for the cross-border mechanism, agreed at the last minute in January after lengthy negotiations, expires on Friday.

Belgium and Germany, the council's penholders on the humanitarian aspects of the Syrian conflict, had initially put forward a largely similar draft that would have extended the so-called cross-border mechanism, for a full year.

A competing draft resolution from Russia that would have authorized deliveries only through Bab al-Hawa until Jan. 10, 2021, failed to be adopted on Thursday as it lacked the required number of votes.

The result was four in favor (China, Russia, South Africa, Vietnam) to seven against (Belgium, Dominican Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Britain, United States), with four abstentions (Indonesia, Niger, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Tunisia).

Bab al-Salam is the humanitarian gateway to northern Aleppo while Bab al-Hawa serves Idlib. Enditem

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