Washington Post: The siege of Madaya casts a shadow on Syrian peace efforts
Editorial Board

“…[T]he story of Madaya suggests that the Assad regime and its allies have no intention of ending their horrific assaults on the country’s civilians, regardless of what is said in a conference hall in Geneva or at the U.N. Security Council. … [T]he Assad regime agreed months ago to allow food and other international aid into Madaya, which is near the Lebanese border, in exchange for relief in two Shiite-populated towns in rebel-held areas farther north. The deal was supposed to be an example of the cease-fires that [U.S. Secretary of State John] Kerry has suggested could be the first fruits of the diplomatic process. Humanitarian access has also been mandated by multiple Security Council resolutions, including one passed unanimously on December 18 that Mr. Kerry hailed for providing ‘clarity about the steps that need to be taken.’ In the three weeks since then, no food has entered Madaya. … Before spending more time discussing grand solutions with the envoys of Damascus, Moscow, and Tehran, the United States should insist that the starvation and bombing of civilians finally end” (1/9).