- UN Chief Calls To Try #Assad To The International Criminal Court

- Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is again calling on the U.N. Security Council to refer the #Assad regime to the International Criminal Court, pointing to "serious violations" including blocking aid deliveries and medical care to millions.

The U.N. chief also called on all combatants, U.N. member states and civil society to cooperate with an independent panel established by the General Assembly in December 2016 to assist in the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for war crimes or crimes against humanity in #Syria.

Guterres said in a report to the council circulated Friday on the humanitarian situation in Syria in December that "accountability for serious violations is a requirement under international law and central to achieving sustainable peace."

During December, he said, no aid was delivered to over 417,000 people in nine "besieged" locations, and only 60,000 of the nearly 2.5 million Syrians living in "hard-to-reach" areas received humanitarian help. He said 95 percent of the besieged population is besieged by the #Assad regime forces.