Red Cross Reattempt Homs Evacuation as Violence Increases

Violence has halted the evacuation of trapped civilians from Syria's Homs region, the Red Crescent said on Thursday, adding it was in negotiations for a deal that would allow them to safety.

"Negotiations are still underway with the parties concerned to evacuate civilians, in cooperation with the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross)," the Red Crescent's Khaled Erksoussi said.

"The teams on site are awaiting the green light to evacuate civilians from the parties who control the dangerous neighborhood," the operations chief told Agance France Press.

"We need to reach an agreement with them to ensure our security," he said, referring to regime and rebel forces, while adding that "We hope to reach a positive outcome soon."

The ICRC said on Wednesday it was ready to evacuate civilians stranded in Homs city and bring in relief aid and medical supplies with the help of the Red Crescent, after regime and opposition forces gave their approval.

According to monitors, up to 1,000 families are said to be stranded in neighborhoods of the city unable to flee a fierce onslaught by regime forces and facing severe shortages.

Activists reached by AFP via Skype have described a "catastrophic situation" in the districts of Jourat al-Shiah, Khalidiyeh and the Old City, with shortages of bread, medical supplies and power.

"The Red Crescent has so far been unable to enter the besieged neighborhoods in order to evacuate the wounded, because of the shelling," said Homs-based activist Abu Bilal, adding some were in a "critical condition."

"We hold the regime of President Bashar al-Assad completely responsible for the lives of the families besieged in Homs," Abu Bilal added.

The priority of the ICRC and Red Crescent was "to evacuate the wounded and the sick to safer areas, where they can be treated," the ICRC's Beatrice Megevand-Roggo said on Wednesday.

The agency said it made a request for a temporary halt in fighting on Tuesday to the government and opposition, both of which said they would respect the pause.

"The authorities agreed officially to our request, and the opposition groups gave us guarantees to respect the truce," the Geneva-based organization said.

The ICRC had called on June 19 for a "temporary truce" in fighting, the statement added.

Damascus has accused "armed terrorist groups" of laying obstacles to the evacuation of civilians besieged in districts of Homs.

The Red Cross action follows a statement by the U.N.'s peacekeeping chief Herve Lasdous that U.N. observers will stay in the country despite the risks.

Monitors estimate that 15 months of fighting have claimed the lives of more than 15,000 people, the majority of them civilians.

Red Cross and Red Crescent workers will make a second attempt to enter Syria's old city of Homs and evacuate civilians after shooting scuppered an initial effort on Thursday, a spokesman said.

"An ICRC and Syrian Arab Red Crescent team tried this morning (Thursday) to enter the old city of Homs to evacuate the wounded, sick and others," International Committee of the Red Cross spokesman Hicham Hassan said.

"Unfortunately the team had to turn and come back due to shooting," he said.

"We are going to try to enter the old city once again this afternoon."

The humanitarian agency said on Wednesday that both the Syrian government and opposition groups had agreed to respect its request for a pause in the fighting to allow relief workers to access the needy.

The ICRC said it wants to bring in vital aid and medical supplies to the local Red Crescent branch.

Troops loyal to the regime of President Bashar al-Assad have been bombarding parts of the central Syrian city for days with a view to retaking the rebel stronghold.

Hundreds of people are believed to be trapped in the old city and are unable to flee or find shelter because of the fighting, the Geneva-based agency said.

In Syria, Red Crescent operations chief Khaled Erksoussi said that negotiations were still underway with the parties concerned.

"The teams on site are awaiting the green light to evacuate civilians from the parties who control the dangerous neighborhood," he said.

"We hope to reach a positive outcome soon."