BBC Online :The UN is poised to begin delivering aid to people living in besieged areas of Syria, making use of a truce brokered by the US and Russia. Its first deliveries are planned for Monday, with aid due to reach about 150,000 Syrians in besieged areas over the next five days.The UN hopes to help an estimated 1.7 million people by the end of March.Saturday’s long-awaited truce appears to be holding despite complaints of breaches from both sides. A key Syrian opposition group said the situation was much better.Before the truce, Western powers accused Russia of attacking moderate rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad; Moscow says it only targets UN-designated terrorist groups. Against the odds: analysis by Mark Lowen. BBC News, Gaziantep, near the Turkey/Syria borderThis is now a crucial window of opportunity for the UN to get food and aid to the besieged. The truce does, in general, remain intact despite both the Western-backed opposition and regime sides complaining of dozens of violations over the weekend, including air strikes around Aleppo.But it is unclear whether the target was the al-Qaeda-linked Nusra front, which would not constitute a ceasefire breach since it and so-called Islamic State are not included in the deal.A rebel spokesman talked of violations “here and there” but a situation much better than before. Moscow also complained of incidents but said on the whole, the ceasefire was being implemented.That it has largely held for the weekend has defied expectations but there is still a lot of scepticism that it can continue for the full two weeks. “Our teachers used to forbid us from going out to the school yard because of the air strikes but today we went out and played,” said Ranim, 10, a pupil in a rebel-held area of Aleppo.UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein said on Monday that over 450,000 people were currently trapped in besieged towns and villages across Syria. Thousands, he added, “may have starved to death”. Aid will be sent to rebel-held Kafr Batna on Friday.
